The Nation Newspaper

Category: Lekan Otufodunrin

  • Buhari: Four matters arising

    President Muhammadu Buhari started on a good note after his swearing in on Friday with his well thought out inaugural speech. Here is my take on four of the major issues he raised in the address.

    I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody

    Considering the divisive nature of the presidential campaign and the animosity generated by the outcome, especially the part of supporters, President Buhari needs to assure Nigerians that he would serve as President for all Nigerians and not the candidate of any party.

    Much as he cannot completely ignore his party and those who played major roles in his election, the interest of the country has to be more paramount in taking decisions and implementing his policies. Those who did not vote for him as he rightly noted contributed to making our democratic culture truly competitive, strong and definitive and should not be denied whatever they are entitled to.

    He should not allow himself to become prisoner of any group; political, religious and ethnic in the discharge of his duties. Those who think they own him will not be dissuaded by this statement; it is left to him to prove that he is a man of his own conviction based on the national interest of the country.

    We can fix our problems

    The problems confronting the country at this point in our history are indeed enormous but not insurmountable if the new government has the political will to do what is needed.

    Issues of insecurity, corruption, power shortage, unemployment and many more require urgent attention which Buhari has promised to tackle headlong. The problems are the outcome of years of maladministration which requires the right policy direction to fix them.

    Nigerians are expectant of a major change in the administration of the country through the fixing of the problems.  President Buhari and his team cannot afford not to live up to the expectations of the people.

    We have both human and material resources which should be appropriately deployed.  The right and capable persons should be given appointments instead of appointments based on political considerations only.

    I am ready to listen to grievances of my fellow Nigerians

    If there is any section of the country that should feel a sense of personal loss in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan, it is the Niger Delta where he hails from. There were initial fears that the militants from the area who are worried about the end of the amnesty programme in December may return to the creeks and engage in ‘economic sabotage’ like they have done in the past.

    Promising to listen to their grievances and invest heavily in on-going projects and programmes areas is a good way to indicate that he has not taken them for granted and would be open to suggestions on how to address the problems in the area.

    We cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing Chibok girls and other hostages

    The battle against Boko Haram is far from being over despite the recent successes recorded by the Nigerian military forces. For all we know they may have retreated to launch back in a more devastating way. What is needed is that they are totally subdued like Buhari stated with the rescue of the girls and other hostages. Being a soldier himself, Buhari should know better on how to fight this kind of war.

    If relocating the command and control centre of the military onslaught to Maiduguri will ensure total victory so be it.

  • Unpaid salaries

    The challenges ahead of the incoming General Muhammadu Buhari’s administration are indeed enormous, considering the poor state of the economy.

    Years of inept leadership at all levels have left the country’s economy in a bad shape and a lot has to be done by the Buhari administration to meet the very high expectations of the people looking up to it for real change and not endless transformation without real development.

    One of the urgent issues that have to be addressed is the irregular payment of workers at state and the federal levels which governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) drew attention to during a meeting with Buhari last week.

    Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, who led his counterparts to the meeting, confirmed that most states of the federation have not been able to pay salaries and even claimed that federal workers are being owed April salaries.

    Some states are owing as much as four months in a country where even those who are paid are barely able to meet their various obligations.

    The claim that federal workers are also being owed salaries have, however, been denied, though the Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, confirmed that the federal government borrowed N473bn  to pay salaries and overhead cost in four months.

    To solve the cash crunch problem and meet the expectations of voters, the APC governors urged the president- elect to consider providing a bailout out of the situation.

    Much as I am not opposed to a bailout if it is possible and can be accommodated under the federal expenditure, it is necessary to be sure of the real cause of the inability of the states to pay their workers.

    Contrary to claims by the states that poor management of the economy and dwindling federal allocations have denied them needed funds for recurrent expenditure like salaries, Okonjo- Iweala insists that the states should be blamed for their predicament.

    According to the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, “The 50 per cent drop in revenues simply means that salaries should be prioritised. The federal government should not be blamed for avoidable mistakes made at the state level.”

    The implication of Okonjo- Iweala’s refutal is that if the affected states have managed their limited resources better and prioritised payment of salaries, they would not have had backlog of unpaid salaries.

    To the extent that not all states are owing their workers’ salaries, Okonjo-Iweala’s defence cannot be totally dismissed. The dwindling federal allocation affects all states. If some states are able to pay, others should not have any excuse not to pay.

    While not all states can generate additional revenue from other sources, state governments can definitely manage their resources better.

    They need to cut down on excessive spending on projects and activities. State governors should be more concerned about the development of their states and the welfare of the people instead of funding their personal projects.

    How can some of the state governors owing their staff justify the huge amount spent on reelection campaigns and bagging of ‘worthless’ awards for the work they have not done?

    Unless state governments check corrupt practices, eliminate wasteful spending, improve on internal revenue generation and accept the reality that federal allocations may not increase soon, bailout by the federal government may not solve their problem.

    They must come up with a perfect formula for ensuring regular payment of workers, irrespective of the revenue available to them. There cannot be any acceptable reason for non-payment of workers’ salaries, majority of whom have no other sources of income. If the number of staff has become bloated over the years, there should be a gradual layoff of unproductive staff. The level of redundancy in government service is very high and should be checked with policies that promote efficiency.

  • Let journalism thrive

    Having a cordial relationship with the media is a must for any government, organisation or individual who occupies a public or private office.

    The popular definition of public relations by Frank Jenkins aptly captures what is required – the relationship must be deliberate, planned and sustained.

    You don’t have to like journalists or what they publish and broadcast, but you must learn to savour good reports about you, when you are reported the way you want, and tolerate what you consider occasional excesses.

    I dare say that the media can sometimes be a necessary “evil” that has to be understood for the important role it plays in informing, eduating and entertaining the public.

    The recent controversy over the ban on the African Independent Television (AIT) which has been resolved is an example of the need for restraint in reacting to perceived negative reporting by the media.

    Whoever gave the instruction that AIT should  “step aside” from the coverage of the official assignments of the President- elect to resolve “ethical and security issues” concerning the organisation, without clearance from Gen. Mohammadu Buhari committed a major blunder.

    It was a needless controversy which even before being sworn in has given the wrong impression that the new administration may not be tolerant of criticisms.

    AIT’s broadcast of the infamous hate documentary titled: The Real Buhari, is particularly reprehensible and could be enough justification to be wary of the organisation, but not to ask its staff to stay away from the public functions of the President-elect.

    Indeed, AIT was not the only organisation that was guilty of ethical breaches in the coverage of the just concluded elections.

    Virtually every print and broadcast organisations in the country violated the code of conduct for election coverage and advertisement for political, ownership, commercial and other reasons.

    Apart from AIT and Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) that aired the controversial documentary, the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission indicted several other government and private stations.

    According to the NBC, “the contraventions include breaches of the rules on the broadcast of sponsored electoral campaign materials, which must conform to the standards of truth, decency and good taste, and requiring the sponsor to be clearly identified.”

    Some of the adverts published in some newspapers couldn’t have been approved for publications if they had been screened by the Advertising Standard panel.

    My verdict on the election coverage is to quote the bible verse that all have sinned and come short of the ethics of the profession on this matter.

    I am not sure what the penalty for the NBC indictment is, but it has to be really punitive enough to prevent reckless violations in future. Aggrieved persons have to be sure that broadcast stations will not easily get away with defamatory and false broadcasts as it seems in the present situation.

    As much as the media should be free to continue to enjoy the freedom to publish and broadcast without any government restriction, they should do so within the limits of the law and ethical demands of the profession.

    If journalism is to continue to thrive in accordance with the theme of the World Press Freedom Day marked today, (Let Journalism Thrive) there will be need for better reporting based on the principles of truth, fairness, objectivity and respects for the rights of those being reported.

  • Three lessons from 2015 elections

    In many ways, the just concluded 2015 general elections was exciting and will remain memorable for long.

    From the realignment of forces by the opposition political parties with disgruntled members of the Peoples Democratic Party, the primaries for electing candidates to the campaign and the elections there was so much to keep Nigerians interested discuss about the political future of the country.

    As we all savor  the outcome of the largely successful and peaceful elections, there are a number of lessons we should take note of, reflect on and take necessary steps to better our lives.

    Don’t give up easily

    After losing the 2011 presidential election, it was almost certain that General Muhammed Buhari would not be able to fulfill his ambition of becoming president of the country. Media analysis based on available facts predicted his loss in 2011 just like in his previous attempts. He also indicated that he may no longer vie for the presidency.

    As it turned out, the alliance of opposition parties gave him a stronger platform to challenge PDP’s 16 year-hold on the presidency and now, Buhari is President in waiting.

    If you are one of those who don’t believe that they can make it to the top in their endeavours , Buhari’s steadfastness should inspire you to not give up easily.

    Your best efforts sometimes may not appear good enough to get you to where you think you should be in the profession, but you should not be discouraged or look for what seems to you the easy way out.

    Sometimes, we are closer to our breakthrough without knowing.

    Good name and  reputation counts

    Critics of General Buhari have a number of facts that they put up to fault his suitability for the presidency, but what they cannot deny is his reputation as being a honest and very disciplined person. He is one past leader of the country who is not known to have enriched himself with government funds.

    The questions you should ask yourself are : what impression do your colleagues, people you live and work with have about you? How ethical are you in your practice? Are you a ‘cash and carry’ professional ? Are you qualified and competent for the position you are eyeing?

    Politicians are not worth fighting over

    One of the very disturbing feature in the campaign for the elections was the disagreement between members of the public, many of whom are not members of any parties  over who they supported for the presidency.

    Instead of respecting the rights of everyone to support the candidates they preferred for whatever reasons, many engaged in bitter exchanges on social media over one another’s choices.

    They engaged in all kinds of name calling and abuses, and in some extreme cases, deleted friends and colleagues from their accounts.

    While the main presidential candidates were busy signing peace agreements and respecting the terms after the election,  many have remained ‘sworn enemies’.

    We can disagree over our positions on any issue but it does not have to degenerate to the level where we sometimes behave worse than politicians.

  • PDP’s fair weather members

    Considering the rate at which  members of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) are defecting to the All Progressives Congress ( APC), it is easy to lose count of how many have jumped ship ahead of the change at the federal level.

    Perhaps the best way to know the true situation concerning the present membership of the PDP – which has being in power since 1999, is to ask who is left in the party?

    For those who have not defected, it seems like a matter of time before they eventually join their colleagues who cannot wait till May 29 for power to change hands at the centre.

    With the victory of the APC in both the presidential and National Assembly elections on March 28 and the projected win of its candidates in majority of the governorship and state assembly contests last Saturday, many PDP members across the country have since chosen to pitch their tent with the former opposition camp.

    While many of the decampees have given various reasons for their decision, what is apparent is that for reasons one can easily guess, they prefer to join the winning side instead of remain to salvage whatever is left of the PDP.

    The mass defection that has followed the outcome of the election is a confirmation of the well known fact that membership of parties in the country is not based on any ideology.

    From all indications, most politicians in the country decide on which party to belong to depending on what political gains they can make at every point in time.

    Even before the recent gale of defections, there have been cases of aspirants who defected from the parties they belonged to when they lost nominations for positions they were interested in.

    Though this is the first time a ruling party will lose election at the federal level in the country, it is not unusual in some other countries, even in Africa. What usually happens is that while the victorious party takes over, the defeated party regroups and becomes a formidable opposition in the hope that it will regain power in future.

    But for the resilience of the leaders of the APC in the last 16 years, the defeat of the PDP in the presidential poll would not have been possible. If they had adopted the principle: f you can’t beat them, join them, Nigerians would have continued to be at the mercy of PDP’s transformation agenda that has not significantly accomplished much.

    Democracy thrives when there is a viable opposition to keep the ruling party in check. What the PDP needs to do is not to continue to mourn its loss, but to reinvent itself. It must realise its mistakes and make amends.

    While the APC should rejoice about its new fortune, it will soon have to come to terms with the challenge of harbouring all kinds of characters flocking to its fold.

    Since the Constitution guarantees citizen’s freedom to join any party of choice, APC cannot reject anyone who wants to join its group.

    However what is required to avoid an implosion is not to give the decampees undue advantage over its loyal members who have made enormous sacrifice to accomplish the recent feat.

    If the decampees waited to join APC until after the party’s victory, their main reason for decamping is to reap where they did not sow. They are opportunists who cannot be trusted to be loyal if in future the APC loses control at the centre.

  • Sai Jonathan

    Sai Jonathan

    When in 2012 TIME magazine listed President Goodluck Jonathan as one of the most influential 100 persons in the world, I wrote a column titled ‘Have you been influenced by Jonathan?’

    I was amused about what could have informed the choice of our president, considering the largely negative perception about his leadership style which did not seem to make him suitable for such listing, which, according to the magazine includes “the people who inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world”.

    The citation by Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf,  in which she stated among others that “with leaders like President Jonathan, Africa is sure to move toward prosperity, freedom and dignity for all of its people”, didn’t also sound true based on what the situation in the country was.

    My reaction to President Jonathan’s inclusion on the Influential persons list then was not because he had not made any impact that deserved to be acknowledged, but I felt he had not done enough to deserve such recognition.

    I would probably not have been disposed to any similar recognition for President Jonathan even up till last week, until he did the ‘unthinkable’  by calling his main opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari to congratulate him hours before the announcement of the final result of the presidential election.

    When both President Jonathan and General Buhari renewed their pledge to the peace accord ahead of the election, not many took them seriously. As far as many Nigerians were concerned, the commitment of the two gladiators was not worth more than the document they signed.

    Given the intense hate and acrimonious campaign for the presidency, it was almost certain that despite the pretence of the candidates and their followers, the contest was a ‘do-or-die’ one. This explains why it was feared that violent protests may follow the announcement of the result either way it goes.

    However, as it turned out, not only have we held the election using the controversial card reader anywhere it worked, but the loser has uncharacteristically accepted defeat while the winner has been magnanimous in victory.

    Such was the envisaged crisis that the peace that has followed is still a surprise to all. It still seems like a dream from which some people are yet to awake from. But it is real and we have no other person than President Jonathan to thank for his willingness to put the country above his personal interest.

    Notwithstanding the massive support for General Buhari which gave him a landslide victory, there are still grounds for President Jonathan to fault the election and give room for the expected violent clashes. But by conceding defeat easily, he proved that his claim that his election is not worth the blood of any Nigerian was not mere rhetoric.

    Even when he could have made an issue about the embarrassment he suffered at the polling booth when he and his wife could not use the card reader which his party had said should not be used, Jonathan pleaded for patience.

    Notwithstanding his shortcomings as President, history, as Senate President David Mark rightly said, will be kind to Jonathan for proving not to be as clueless as many of his critics think he is.

    I agree completely with the statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives  Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Muhammed on the significance of President Jonathan’s action.

    “By that singular act, which went a long way in dousing post-election tension, the President has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, written his name in gold in the annals of Nigeria’s history and catapulted himself to a statesman.”

  • Battling Boko Haram

    The string of successes recorded by the Nigerian military forces in clearing Boko Haram insurgents from towns they occupy in some states of the North East region of the country is heart-warming.

    Last Friday, the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade announced the capture of the Madagali, said to be the last major town held by the terrorists in Adamawa State.

    The Nigerian troops had reportedly routed terrorists from different towns and communities in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and Gombe.

    The six-weeks operation launched by the military, which was the excuse for not being able to guarantee security during the earlier dates fixed for the general elections, seems to be yielding results and there is cause to be hopeful that terrorists days of unhindered takeover of communities are over.

    Although the insurgents have continued their deadly attacks in some cities in the region, indications are that the Nigerian army may have finally found the strategies to dislodge them or at best curtail their activities.

    The involvement of the African Union regional forces has undoubtedly aided the success of our soldiers, they deserve commendation for halting the worrisome advancement of the insurgents who are determined to possibly carve out their own Islamic state from the country.

    Last weekend, Boko Haram’s pledge of alliance with the Islamic State of Syria and Iran (ISIS), which has been globally accepted as a terrorist group is a clear indication of how far the group intends to go in order to  achieve whatever cause it claims to be campaigning for.

    The Nigerian forces have proved that they have the ability to combat the terrorists if they get the ammunitions required for such sophisticated desert battle against the terrorists.  It is unfortunate that it has taken this long to adequately equip our soldiers, many of whom have been killed and wounded along with thousands of other civilians.

    Now that we seem to be having an upper hand, everything necessary should be done by the Federal Government  to sustain the momentum and once and for all, cut the insurgents to size. The regional efforts should be fortified and there should be no room for any disagreement that can hamper the joint efforts required to win the battle against the terrorists.

    If the claim by the Chadian President – Idriss  Deby that he knows the whereabouts of Shekau, the Boko Haram leader is true, whatever is required to capture him dead or alive should be done. Whatever disagreement exists between the Nigerian and Chadian governments over how to prosecute the anti-terrorist battle should be resolved in the interest of fighting a common enemy group like Boko Haram.

    More than ever before, there is need for regional cooperation particularly among countries directly affected by the crisis, and backed by the international community. National pride over territorial issues and credit for who is doing what in the battle should not becloud danger involved in allowing lack of unity of purpose on this matter.

    Terrorism is a global problem that has to be tackled urgently before it consumes all of us.

  • What women want

    In commemoration of the International Women’s Day marked worldwide today, the mmessage of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, for the 2015 is hereby reproduced.
    The message sums up what has been done and what is still required to needs to be done to accomplish gender equity and ‘Planet 50:50’ before 2030.

    In 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, world leaders committed to a future where women are equal.

    One hundred and eighty nine countries and 4,000 civil society organizations, attended the conference.

    Women left Beijing with high hopes, with a well-defined path towards equality, and firm commitments at the highest level. Their hope was that we would see this by 2005.

    Today, not one single country has achieved equality. It is more urgent than ever that we define – and stick to – a time frame.

    There has been some progress in the last 20 years – although it has been slow and uneven.

    Countries have narrowed the gender gap in education and some have even reached gender parity in school enrolment.

    They have reduced the toll of maternal mortality and morbidity. Many more women survive pregnancy and childbirth than in 1995.

    Many countries have created institutions that address gender inequality. Many have passed laws against gender-based discrimination. Many have made domestic violence a crime.

    This is all good news.

    And yet we are still a long way from achieving equality between men and women, boys and girls.

    Implementation of good policies has been patchy. Allocation of the resources needed for effective implementation has been insufficient to fund women’s ministries, gender commissions, gender focal points, and gender-responsive budgeting.

    For too many women, especially in the least-developed countries, not enough has changed.

    In Africa, 70 per cent of crop production depends on women yet women still own only 2 per cent of the land.

    Violence against women continues to blight lives in all countries of the world.

    And no country has achieved gender equality.

    Women need change and humanity needs change. This we can do together; women and girls, men and boys, young and old, rich and poor.

    The evidence is overwhelming of the benefits that equality can bring. Economies grow, poverty is alleviated, health status climbs, and communities are more stable and resilient to environmental or humanitarian crises.

    Women want their leaders to renew the promises made to them. They want leaders to recommit to the Beijing Declaration, to the Platform for Action, and to accelerated and bolder implementation.

    They want more of their leaders to be women. And they want those women, together with men, to dare to change the economic and political paradigms. Gender parity must be reached before 2030, so that we avert the sluggish trajectory of progress that condemns a child born today to wait 80 years before they see an equal world.

    Today, on International Women’s Day, we call on countries to “step it up” for gender equality, with substantive progress by 2020. Our aim is to reach ‘Planet 50:50’ before 2030.

    The world needs full equality in order for humanity to prosper.

    Empower women, empower humanity. I am sure you can picture an equal world!

  • Let Jega be

    Let Jega be

    If the general election earlier fixed for February 14 had held as scheduled, many eligible Nigerians would have been denied the opportunity of voting for their preferred candidates.

    Despite the claim by the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, that his Commission was ready to conduct the election, it was apparent that the logistics for the nationwide exercise had not been perfected.

    The Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to replace the Temporary Voters Card (TVC) were not available in many centres. Despite public holidays declared by states governments to enable citizens collect their voting cards, INEC admitted that 48,098,000 out of 68.83m, representing 65 percent, had been collected as at the eve of the rescheduled election.

    As if to confirm the lapse in the production and distribution of the cards, many people, including some prominent persons, searched endlessly for their cards and had to re register when INEC owned up in some instances that the data earlier collected were lost.

    The training of ad-hoc staff had not been completed, while the use of the card reader was still a bit confusing.

    In a way, the postponement of the election based on lack of guarantee of security by the military was an opportunity for the INEC to perfect its arrangements for the election.

    Notwithstanding INEC’s shortcomings, there is no justification for the recent call on Jega to resign by the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, led by Chief Edwin Clark and some other groups who are mainly supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The accusation against Jega that he has connived with northern leaders to rig Jonathan out of office is a wild claim which the group cannot substantiate.

    It is unfortunate that the Clark’s group which include senior citizens of the country who should be regarded as elder statesmen are leading a campaign of calumny against the chief electoral officer who has a track record of conducting free and fair elections that have been hailed across political divide in the past.

    While INEC’s preparations can be faulted this time around, his resignation at this crucial stage of the general election will rather complicate issues than solve the problem of having a smooth election in accordance with the constitutional provisions.

    Even if Jega offers to resign at this stage of election preparations, he would be guilty of sabotaging the electoral process. It is too late in the day for him to back out of the crucial exercise or be asked to leave over partisan allegations by those opposed to his conducting the election for ulterior motives.

    From all indications, the Jega-must-go proponents are acting a script to discredit the INEC boss to have reasons to fault the outcome of the election if their party loses at any level.

    Jega and his team have done fairly well in past elections that they should be given the benefit of the doubt to perfect whatever needs to be done ahead of the rescheduled March 28 election.

    Though President Jonathan has denied any plan to remove Jega, speculations have been on about the federal government’s plot to sack the INEC Chairman.

    The president will do well not to succumb to any pressure to move against Jega by his party members.

    Any attempt to send Jega on compulsory pre-retirement leave that will prevent him from conducting this election, will be counterproductive for the electoral future of the country.

  • Waiting for March 28

    But for the postponement of the general election by six weeks, Nigerians would have trooped out yesterday to elect who will govern the country for the next four years. By now, there would have been indications of who is winning and losing in the battle for the presidency between incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari.

    As it is, we have to wait till March 28 to get over the tension that has gripped the country over the decisive election. I really wish the election was not postponed. I can’t wait to know if Nigerians will get the opportunity of change of government after 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party’s  (PDP)  rule or have to endure another four years.

    For the first time, the opposition group in the country seems to have got their act together and more than ever before has the opportunity to defeat the ruling PDP. If the campaign across the country is anything to go by, Jonathan’s chance of winning the election is not as bright as in 2011.

    As much as Jonathan and the PDP members are calling for continuity, the echo of change is too loud to be ignored.

    So much is at stake in the election concerning the future of the country that everything necessary must be done to ensure that it is as free and fair as possible.

    The sudden excuse of insecurity by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) based on the request of the military authorities is worrisome, but if that is what is required to have an election in which all Nigerians, including those in areas occupied Boko Haram insurgents, would participate, so be it.

    Since the six weeks’ extension can still be accommodated within the time allowed by the Constitution to hold election before the inauguration of a new government, the military should be given the benefit of doubt that it will substantially recover the captured territories.

    The collaboration with the regional forces from Chad, Niger and Cameroun should hopefully boost the onslaught against the insurgents and pave way for a general election that will not exclude any part of the country.

    While, despite protests from some quarters, Nigerians are ready to wait till March 28 to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice, what will not be acceptable is another extension for any reason.

    Though the six weeks’ extension is supposed to be in the first instance, no excuse will be good enough for another extension. The military must do everything possible not to confirm fears that it has any secret agenda to truncate democracy in the country.

    I salute the efforts of the Nigerian military in combating the insurgents over the years and my heart goes out to families whose loved ones have died or got wounded in the battle. The military must, however,   continue to perform its constitutional role of protecting the security of the country at all times and get all the needed support it needs.

    The INEC must also utilise the period of the postponement to perfect its arrangements for the election. If the election had been held as originally scheduled, many Nigerians would have been denied the opportunity of voting due to their inability to get their Permanent Voters Card.

    INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, must prove his critics wrong by conducting an election that will be devoid of unnecessary controversy.