By Tajudeen Adebanjo
Former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba and a former Federal Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to adopt electronic voting system for future elections.
The duo spoke on Thursday at a book launch at the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The book, titled: Reflection on Juma’at Greetings, was written by Mr Babatunde Jose, the son of doyen of Nigerian Journalism, the late Alhaji Isma’il Babatunde Jose.
Osoba, who chaired the occasion, said politicians engaged in vote-buying because the electorate, mainly commoners, sell their votes for as low as N5,000.
He described the situation as “shameful”.
Though the former governor admitted that the Open Ballot System is crude, he admitted that it is also transparent.
Read Also: Clamour for electronic voting as Senate mulls Electoral Act amendment
According to him, the most transparent election is through an electronic system.
“If our banks are doing the electronic transfer of money faster and successfully, why can’t we adopt the same for our elections? Electronic voting will erase rigging,” he said.
Okunnu concurred with Osoba, saying: “I agree that it would lead to a fair and honest election. No rigging. The electronic voting will let the people speak for themselves; their votes will count and help at least to clear the foul air we have now. I believe it would. But the restructuring is fundamental.”
The book reviewer and eminent scholar, Prof Adebayo Williams, called for spirituality among Nigerians.
According to him, there is too much lust for materialism, which has destroyed the fabric of the nation.
Prof Williams said: “If you look at the level of criminalisation in this country, being committed on a daily basis, the country has gone morally bankrupt. Let me warn: as long as that continues, you cannot build any political edifice on a morally bankrupt foundation. It is not possible.”
The eminent scholar said there must be a way out.
“When you miss your way, you don’t try to force your way through the jungle. You go back to where you miss your way and start plotting again. So, there is a need for us to go back and address the fundamentals,” he said.
Prof Williams said he had profound admiration for the author.
“He has been a source of inspiration in the way that he has avoided all the shenanigans of the country. He has not attempted to use the name of his family to cut favours from those he thought were his father’s friends and others. He has led an examined life.
“I think he was the best student in Political Science in his year of graduation at the University of Ibadan (UI). He is a very humble and simple person; totally devoted to Islam,” he said.
The scholar described the book as well researched.
Jose said the book was the result of sleepless nights of research.
“Most of the sermons in this collection are results of heated debates and intellectual masturbation, sometimes during soccer matches on weekends. Today, you all hold in your hands the fruit of these endeavours.
“However, it can be rightly referred to as the child of my brain, the product of joint endeavours and the materialisation of a steadfast belief in the righteousness of making admonitory and instructive preachments to my readers,” he said.
Jose added that the book would draw the attention of the reader to the unfinished “Nigerian Project” which is a work-in-progress without a terminal date.
Leave a Reply