A Short Note on Nigeria’s 2011 Elections

Posted by admin Articles, Columnists, Elections 2011, Leonard K. Shilgba, PhD Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

By Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba, Yola, Nigeria – March 30, 2011 – Are you the Nigerian better off today than you were 12 years ago? As Nigerians go to the polls in April 2011 to choose their representatives in government, this should be the question on their mind. Nigeria has made in the past 12 years more money than she has made in all of her existence as one independent country. Within the same period, more than 15 trillion naira has been given away (or rather egregiously appropriated by) to her generally unproductive public officials, who in any given year are less than 18,000 out of a population of 150 million Nigerians. During the period, one single party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has presided over the affairs of the nation at both executive and legislative levels.

The Nigerian is more important than any object of attention a Nigerian politician may claim to care for. Is the Nigerian’s condition of living better? The genuine answer is No. If any Nigerian whose quality of life has rather deteriorated in the past 12 years gets to the polling station and reaches out to vote, at that moment he reflects over his life’s fortunes under the ruling party, and he still votes for the PDP, he would be a candidate for a visit with a shrink. It is my candid opinion that if even an angel from heaven should contest for an elective office on the platform of the PDP in the April 2011 elections Nigerians should not hesitate to vote against him. Let us send a strong message that we have resolved to use the ballot to punish incompetent and corrupt leadership. The PDP, if at all it has discerning party members, had better not engage in election rigging this time. If the party loves to keep Nigeria in peace, as we vote against their candidates, the party should quietly retreat and manage to govern well in the few states it will manage to win. Now is the time to take our destiny in our hands. And any other parties that Nigerians may vote for should also get the message that the same treatment would be meted out to them by 2015 if they fail to make the people the focus of their policies.

I read that the Inspector-General of police made an order that Nigerians should not bring their phones and cameras to the polling stations. If it is true, that is utter nonsense and suspicious. I call on Nigerians to disregard that order. Ours is a country of laws, and there is no existing law forbidding the use of phones and cameras at polling stations. I shall take my phones and camera to the polling stations and see the policeman that would dare stop me using them. Nigerians should do I-reporting on election days, and send results and reports from around the country to media houses across the country. I can also serve as a vehicle.

We should not vote promises, we should vote “how”; we should not vote ethnicity; we should not vote religion. Religion in Nigeria has been used to deceive for too long. There is nothing fresh about the ruling party. If there was anything fresh about it, we would since have seen the prosecution of government officials (past and present) for the billions or trillions of naira that have gone down the drain supposedly on public projects. President Jonathan is talking of an “alternative” way to funding the Benin-Ore road! Get those government officials and contractors that have embezzled monies voted severally for the construction of that road to cool their feet in jail! He cannot and so we must not waste our votes on PDP. I am mad at those people that have deceived Nigerians for far too long. The jobs that should come to Nigerians are going to foreigners because PDP has neglected technical education, abandoned highly strategic colleges such as Yaba Tech.; made useless noises about reviving the Ajaokuta steel plant; abandoned well-conceived modern railway projects and substituted them with sadly ludicrous colonial-leftover rail tracks that they now boast about shamelessly; killed the textile industry (don’t mind the noise about stimulus for the textile industry; the only stimulus is that of their campaign funds thereby). What political gimmick for Jonathan to approve new federal universities in Nigeria at this time! He has abandoned public universities and is building new ones!

About 20 billion US dollars has been wasted in three years by the PDP-federal government. 8.3 billion US dollars of the amount could have completed work on the 1, 315 km-length of dual track modern (phase one) railway network that should have been completed in 2010, and which would have made trains to run at 160 km per hour, thus relieving our dilapidated roads of weight from heavy duty vehicles. I can go on and on. My heart is wounded, and I don’t care anymore. I don’t care for the consequences. This is a cursed government; a wasted one. We must flush it down the drain. And if they dare rig, I see unprecedented crisis. The courts would not help this time.

About the BON debate, considering natural emotions, Ribadu, Buhari, and Shekarau must boycott the debate. But considering rationality, strategy, and opportunity, and the fact that many of us are waiting to hear their solutions to the myriad problems we are facing as a nation and people, I call on my friend Ribadu, my colleague (fellow mathematician) Shekarau, who came across to me at the last NN24 debate as a thoughtful and intelligent man, and my former head of state, Buhari, to re-consider and attend the BON debate. My students and I are looking forward to that debate. I must inform them that many of them are registered voters, and they shall vote intelligently.

Leonard Karshima Shilgba is an Associate Professor of Mathematics with the American University of Nigeria and President of the Nigeria Rally Movement (www.nigeriarally.org ).

TEL: +234 (0) 8055024356; EMAIL: shilgba@yahoo.comwp_posts