The Nation Newspaper

Tag: campaigns

  • Electoral campaigns: Forum asks parties, candidates to address issues

    Electoral campaigns: Forum asks parties, candidates to address issues

    Members of various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)  in Abuja has asked politicians to examine the quality and pattern of their campaigns.

    They said the messages being churned out did not only dwell on frivolities and primordial sentiments, but were deliberately intended to exploit the nation’s fault lines of religion and ethnicity.

    They urged politicians and their parties to redirect their campaigns to address issues and the myriad of challenges facing the country, to enable the electorates make informed choices on election days.

    The event titled: Training on advocacy for issue-based campaigning in Nigeria, was organised by a coalition of CSOs under the aegis of the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room), with support from the British Department for International Development (DFID).

    Speakers included the Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwankwo; Country Director, Action Aid Nigeria, Dr Hussaini  Abdu; Executive Director, Human Rights Monitor, Festus Okoye and Country Director, Open Society Initiative, West Africa (OSIWA), Jude Ilo.

    They urged Nigerians to insist that candidates in the elections must discuss how to fix corruption, poverty, unemployment, socio-economic inequality and decay in infrastructure, among others. They advised the electorates not be moved by the current campaign pattern that seeks to solely exploit the nation’s ethnic and religious diversity.

    Nwankwo said the event was meant to educate participants on strategies for advocating the pre-eminence of issue-based campaign in the country, and articulate issues that will help define citizens’ understanding.

    He observed that there were a lot of issues affecting the country, which should be addressed by candidates rather than expending energy on frivolities and issues that could further divide the nation.

    He urged President Goodluck Jonathan and others to showcase their achievements, on which basis they are seeking re-election. He faulted the threat by some Niger Delta indigenes that they will deny the country access to the resources in their geo-political zone should Jonathan lose election.

    Abdu, in his presentation titled: Issues in the economy, wondered why the level of poverty, unemployment and inequality has continued to rise despite claim by the government to have improved on the economy through its various economic policies.

    He noted that the nation’s main problem was the economy. He observed that the factors that led to military intervention in the early 1980s were present.

    Abdu, a former lecturer at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), urged Nigerians to demand from the various candidates, how they intend to revamp the economy, because whoever wins “has a lot to do in resuscitating the economy”. He said what candidates should focus on is how to arrest the current drift in the nation’s fortune.

    Okoye, in his paper titled: Democracy, rule of law and issue-based campaign, observed that though the country, by adopting democracy, has resolved to live by democratic culture, tenets and values, its elite, nurtured in a culture of impunity, are hesitant to commit to constitutional democracy.

    This, he said, was evident in “our political parties, their manifestos and even, in the way the affairs of the parties are conducted”.

    He noted that candidates’campaigns and their parties’ manifestos have continued to avoid pertinent issues around democracy, rule of law, separation of powers and the people’s sovereign power.

    Okoye argued that rather, politicians and their parties make fleeting references and generalisation to these pertinent issues. “As a people and a nation, we should pose questions to the political parties and the candidates and demand answers to them,” he said.

    He urged the electorate to insist that political parties and their candidates “restrict themselves to issues affecting the welfare and the wellbeing of the people and abandon the uncharitable path of character attack.

  • The 2015 presidential campaigns

    The front runners for the 2015 presidential election, no doubt, are President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC). While President Jonathan is running on his record of performance in office, since 2009; General Buhari is running on the promise of change,for the better. For me, the presidential campaigns, have been very disappointing; since neither the incumbent president, who has had the chance, nor the major aspirant, who is asking for a chance, is promising Nigerians, the fundamental changes, necessary for the much sought after national rebirth.

    As many national and international commentators have correctly argued, Nigeria will only make little progress, if at all, unless there is a fundamental restructuring of the country, its systems and institutions. Knowing that we are a diverse people, it is also commonly agreed that Nigeria would be must effective, if it operates a true federal system of government. Interestingly, there is a groundswell of opinion that Nigeria currently operates more of a unitary system of government, than a federal system, and there is an urgent need for a change. So, I had wagered that the presidential debate, support and choices will be driven by demand for those fundamental changes, towards proper federalism for the much sought after national rebirth.

    This, regrettably, has not been the case. Rather, what we have is a presidential debate and campaign, without any fundamental promises to restructure the enablers for true federalism. In essence, what is driving the presidential debate, support and choices, is nothing more than mere parochial self and group interests. Strangely, even the chief proponentsfor a true federalism have been overtaken by the election fever, without their asking any of the candidates, to make commitment in this regard.

    Until recently, I recall that many of the state governors and foremost political actors across the parties, have been in the forefront for a statutory provision for state police. Indeed, many of the governors who had suffered various kinds of humiliation, owing to the federal government monopoly of the instrument of coercion, had openly canvased for state police, as the way out of that quagmire. Now that the presidential candidates are stumping around, canvassing for support, nobody is stringently demanding a commitment from the candidates, before extending the much sought after support. Indeed, nothing is heard again of that major fundamental of a federal system of government.

    Again, before the military intervention in politics, particularly its infamous Minerals Act of 1969, Nigeria ran a federal system of government, with strong regional economies; which paid tax to the federal government. Since that military misadventure in politics, Nigeria has ran a very dangerous mono-economy, such that currently, with global oil prices plummeting, Nigeria whose economy is dependent on oil resources, is despite the pretences, at the threshold of an economic collapse. Yet, in all the debate and campaign, none of the candidates has promised thatinevitable return to status quo, necessary for our national rebirth.

    I had also erroneously thought that the current fiscalchallenge, facing the state governors, following the dwindled resources from the so called federation account, would compel a rethink, and the galvanizing of national consensus, to amend that act, so that state governments can begin to exploit the natural resources that is in abundant in their states. Such untapped resources include coal, bitumen, zinc, iron ore, gold, and several other minerals across the country. For me, it is strange that state governors are excitedly campaigning for their preferred presidential candidates, without extracting from them, the promise to return ownership of these minerals to the states, or in the least, the regions.

    Another forgotten consensus for national rebirth, as far as the presidential campaign and debate is concerned, is the near general agreement that Nigeria should be restructured into a six-region federation, for greater efficiency. Strangely, some of the major proponents of that important move, have openly supported one of the presidential candidates, without asking their preferred candidate what is his position, with regards to this fundamental. So, while there is a general consensus that the cost of governance across the thirty-six states is unsustainable, none of the presidential candidates in their campaigns have told their enthusiastic supporters, where they stand in the debate.

    With the expanding war by the Boko Haram elements in the North-East, and the threat of war in the Niger Delta, should Jonathan loose, there is the possibility that the promises of jobs for the youths, will be mainly in the military and quasi militias.Let nobody be fooled, there is little or no economic activities across many states and regions, and that is the sub-set for the several crises that is threatening to consume our country. The result is the abundant human resources, wasting away, and easily converted to agents of nationalinstability. As the presidential candidates campaign across the country, nobody is seriously asking the candidates, how they would realistically spread economic activities, across the geo-political zones of the country.

    While nobody should take away from the campaigners their well-founded interest in theunbearable corruption, grave insecurity, poverty and mass unemployment, it is important to realise that without addressing the fundamental structures of the socio-political economy of the country, the promises cannot be fulfilled. For instance,how do you fight corruption undera criminal justice system that is afflicted by institutionally induced sabotage?Again, how do you fight insecurity and insurgency in a system fraught with systemic injustice, structurally unfair appropriation and/or re-distribution of the common resources?Indeed, how will the officials, whether elected or appointed, of a fundamentally unjust state, suddenly become purveyors of a fair economic activities that will eradicate poverty and create national wealth, across the country?

     

     

  • Bamidele’s group campaigns for Buhari

    The Ekiti Bibire Coalition, a political platform of a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, has begun a house-to-house campaign in support of the presidential ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    The campaign, which is to take the group to the 132 communities, is aimed at building a grassroots support base for Gen. Buhari ahead of the February 14 presidential poll.

  • Ngo campaigns against violence in Warri

    The streets of Warri  were agog with songs and dances as hundreds of youths participated in a road-show floated to promote peaceful engagement of the political class by youths as the next general elections approach.

    The road-show, which was put together by the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), took off from the Okere Road axis of the metropolis, paraded through many streets and terminated at the Redeemer Catholic Church hall at Airport Junction, where a town-hall meeting was held with stakeholders.

    Speaking on the target of the activity, the Assistant Programme Manager of the SDN, which is under the Niger Delta Legacy Engagement, Mrs Brenda Bepe, said the event was particularly organised to sensitise the youths towards peaceful engagement, especially in matters concerning the upcoming elections.

    Also speaking, the Programme Analyst, (Monitoring and Evaluation) of the SDN, Oludare Oresanya, said the Warri event was the second in Delta state, as one had been held about two weeks back in Adagbrassa-Ugolo in Okpe council area of Delta state.

    According to the organisers, SDN had been involved in a project of changing the narrative of the Niger Delta from that of violence and criminality hitherto held by the outside world, through empowerment and constructive engagement.

    “These roads show is to send our message of peace across that people should embrace peace, especially looking at the upcoming 2015 elections, we are trying to tell the people to engage their government through peaceful means, not involving violence. It is about community mobilization. We want to move the Niger Delta forward through mass mobilisation.

    “As a matter of fact, Stakeholder Democracy Network is a proud organisation with over a decade-long history of working with communities in the Niger Delta, particularly on changing the narrative of violence, empowering communities to engage in civic, constructive collaborative mechanisms with their governments. What we have done, thanks especially to the United States’ government, is to provide a platform to change the narrative of violence, especially among the youths in the Niger Delta.

    “The Dawn in the Creeks is trying to change the narrative about the Niger Delta; we want people to talk about positive things about the Niger Delta, we want to change the discussion from violence pays to peace and we are engaged in different activities to achieve this.

    “We have trained 21 film makers from the three core Niger Delta states; Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers and from these three states we trained seven persons each from Nembe in Bayelsa, Erema in Rivers and Ozoro in Delta.

    “We have done several different engagements, currently we are doing community reporting, young people in the community have been given media training to empower them to report from their communities things that are working and things that are not working and also to engage with government,” Oresanya said.

  • SERAP charges APC, PDP to disclose spending

    SERAP charges APC, PDP to disclose spending

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has requested the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as well as All Progressive Congress (APC), to formally release costs of spending incurred in their efforts geared towards the 2015 General election.

    Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director of SERAP, in two separate letters dated 18 November, 2014, and addressed to Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, PDP National Chairman and Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the APC National Chairman, requested the parties to publicly present information about the spending on the electoral campaigns and other operations in line with the February 2015 elections.

    The Civil society group, SERAP hinged its request letter on Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) of 2011, when it said: “Under the FOI Act, your party is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application is received.”

    Similarly, SERAP maintained that “If the requested information is not provided to us within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, the Registered Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you and your party to comply with our request,”.

    Embittered about the risks and increase in corrupt practices around the country during electoral campaigns for the general elections, the group expressed dedicated worries, especially the role of money in politics and the persistent failure generally to comply with national and international law on political party finance.

    In addition, the Executive Director further stressed that Nigerians have the right to know about spending by political parties especially the major parties “like your party with a strong possibility to assume government in the future. Citizens should be able to examine financial transactions of parties and be certain that politicians are working for their voters, not their benefactors.”

    However, SERAP noted that the parties cannot claim a strange position from the FOI Act, saying “to do so will seriously undermine citizens’ trust in their political parties and lack of trust will inevitably destroy confidence in the system and decrease citizens’ interest and participation in democratic processes.”

    The letter signed by the Executive Director, reads: “We believe that without free and fair elections there can be no democracy. However, elections are only one part of the democratic process, and a fair and effective electoral system must be founded in an adequate democratic infrastructure and responsibility of political leaders.

    “Therefore, releasing the information will help to address the perception among the citizens that the major political parties in the countries are less transparent and accountable. The lack of transparency and accountability in political finance is seriously undermining the legitimacy and credibility of the democratic and electoral processes, and invariably contributing to denying the citizens the right to effective participation in their own government.

    “Transparency, accountability, integrity and independence of political parties is also important to achieve greater transparency in public life, to curb the influence of money in politics, to promote a level playing field, and to remove the risks to the independence of political actors and would-be public office holders and the risks of conflicts of interest, including undue influence and corruption in the funding of political parties.”

    SERAP urged the parties to disclose information on the party’s comprehensively documented budget, covering the incomes and expenditures, with proper identification of its sources including those derived from federal, state and other institutions for the campaigns and other operations related to the February 2015 general elections.

    Quoting Sections 2, 3(d, V) and 4 of the FOI Act, civil group said: “there is a binding legal duty to ensure that documents containing the necessary information are widely disseminated and made readily available to members of the public through various means. The information being requested does not come within the purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FOI Act.”

    Consequently, the group opined that treading the path of transparency during campaigns could further promote informed voting by citizens who would have the needed information to make informed choices.

     

  • A peep into Guinness campaigns

    A peep into Guinness campaigns

    Despite the poor performance that dogged its sales, Guinness Nigeria shook the marketing communication landscape with one of the most intimidating marketing campaigns since May, 2012, when the outgoing Managing director of Guinness Nigeria, Mr. Seni Adetu, took over, ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI reviews some of the activities.

    By next January, Seni Adetu will vacate the hot seat at the Guinness Nigeria headquarters in Ogba, Lagos. This was announced by Diageo’s Guinness Nigeria division early in the week. He will be replaced by John O’Keeffe, who has been with Diageo for about 20 years.

    O’Keeffe is the global head of Innovation and of Beer & Baileys.

    The announcement came amid recent report that Guinness is not doing well.

    Adetu said the revenue decline was due to pricing disadvantage, growth in the value segment, investment in capacity expansion , competitor’s aggressive trade practices and increased finance costs among others.

    Despite this, his tenure is known for remarkable and innovative marketing campaigns which delivered on marketing objectives as paer of effort to sustain the global positioning of the Guinness corporate brands .

    With his aggressive drive to build Guinness marketing share in the beer market, he also brought to Nigeria new products such as SNARP, Dubic and Origin whose current market penetration within the little period of introduction shocked competitors.

    “Under Seni’s leadership, the quality and diversity of our portfolio have been enriched with the renovation of Guinness FES and Harp, the repositioning of Dubic and Satzenbrau, the expansion into mainstream spirits and soft drinks categories, the introduction of new brands like Snapp and Orijin. In the period, we have won the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) award for best beverage innovation in Nigeria in 2014 with Orijin and sustained Guinness Nigeria’s long-standing position as one of the most reputable companies in Nigeria,” Guinness stated in a release obtained by The Nation.

    “During his time in role, Seni has creditably led the business, successfully completed the capacity expansion project and commenced a major transfromation in the company’s Route-to-Consumer,” the statement conclude..

    Beyond that The Nation looks at some of the marketing campaigns under Adetu:

     

    2012: Drink IQ campaign

     

    In 2012, in attempt to promote responsible drinking, Guinness Nigeria Plc organised the second series of the DrinkIQ Media workshop to reinstate the need for consumers to make informed decisions on alcohol consumption. Speaking at the workshop held at the corporate head office in Lagos, Sesan Sobowale, Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria, stated that the reason for organising the second series of the DrinkIQ Workshop was to further promote responsible drinking and create awareness on the proper consumption of alcohol. He added that it is part of the company’s ‘Plan Ahead’ Responsible Drinking campaign.

     

    2012: Fly with the Eagles

    At the time when all big brands tactically failed to made budget available to support the national team, the Super Eagles for the 2013 African Nations Cup in South Africa, Guinness Nigeria Plc under Adetu unveiled the “Fly with the Eagles” campaign to identifies with the love and passion Nigerians share for football and the team’s aspiration to make Nigerians proud at the 2013 AFCON games. The campaign, however, paid off when the team won the trophy and other big brands embarked on ambush marketing thereafter.

    As the official sponsor of the team,  Adetu, said Guinness is proud to associate with the Super Eagles over the years.   He noted that the company is at the centre of galvanising support from millions of Nigerian fans. “Guinness Nigeria is keeping faith with the Super Eagles. We believed that the team is not just made up of the eleven players on the pitch but also includes the 170 million people cheering their team on. As a company and a football-loving brand, we are convinced that we have what it takes to succeed at this year’s outing.”

    The brand sponsored about 200 consumers to support the team.

    The secretary general of the Nigerian Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari applauded Guinness’ efforts in supporting the national team.

     

    2013: Largest Jersey unveiled

    As part of the preparation to boost the morale of the team and enhance support from Nigerians Guinness Nigeria also unveiled the Largest Football Jersey in the World at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.  It was quite an amazing experience for many who visited the  Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere to sign on the jersey.

    “Going from one engagement point to another was a total and complete experience for me… from 5-aside football match to the live match screenings and finally putting my signature on the jersey, it really was one of those rare experiences that are to be treasured. Trust me, this is something you want to check out,” a signatory said.

    2013: Guinness #Colourfulworldofmore Concert  Guinness During the year, Guinness Nigeria also unveiled a new label at the #Colourfulworldofmore Concert on Sunday, November 3, 2013 at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The star studded event which was one of the biggest shows of the year, featured performances by D’banj, Tiwa Savage, P-Square, Chidinma, Burna Boy, Phyno and Olamide, Flavour, Wizkid and Davido.  It was a night of non stop fun and excitement, which will linger in the minds of all attendees for a long time. From the ambience of the concert area, the sterling performances, the lightning effect, the sound, it was an event that lived up to the expectations of the Guinness brand. The highlight of the night was the 3D unveiling of the new Guinness Foreign Extra Stout bottle label.

     

    2014: Made of Black

    Few months ago, Guinness showed a strong determination to connect with its teeming consumers through the latest campaign, Made of Black. The campaign according to Adetu is meant to provide the platform for Nigerians to explore their innate potentials. The event, which was held recently at Beer Hugz, Ikeja Mall, Alausa, Lagos, created sparks of exciting artistic appreciation of the stout’s extra ‘Blackness.’   The Made of Black campaign was designed to promote and celebrate the universal human capacity to rise above seemingly daunting life’s challenges towards greatness.  “Our vision is to be the most trusted beer brand in Nigeria by creating exciting experience for our consumers. The Made of Black campaign cuts across colour, race and creed. It is designed to inspire a positive attitude in the rise of new age consumers. This campaign represents the movement of Nigerians that are determined to carve their own unique path in life. Hence, the brand is providing the platform for them to express their natural attitude,” Adetu said.

    He also explained the Made of More campaign, which has been the iconic campaign of Guinness. “The Made of Black as well as Colorful World of More are subsets of Made of More. Guinness Nigeria will continue to explore various consumer touch points that would make the beer brand the consumers preferred choice. Through this initiative, we are redefining what black means. It is meant to increase the attitude of individuals whose inspiration cannot be contained. The attitude is not peculiar to any race but with a universal appeal as an endearment for greatness,” he said.

    During the event, the company also announced three Nigerian musical artists, Olamide, Eva and Phyno, as the ambassadors of the Made of Black campaign, noting that they were “carefully selected because they epitomise the truest ideals of the human character to achieve greatness, in spite of the glaring odds.”

     

    I’m proud to be part of this

    “We had some big campaigns in the last couple of years that I took charge. I am proud to be part of it. We supported Super Eagles with Fly With The Eagles campaign as a way of supporting the team when they had been written off. In 2012 November, we had a big event at Eko Hotel for the team and after that they went to the Nations Cup in South Africa to bring back the trophy. We also sent about 200 consumers to support the team in SA. We did the Made of Black and we also repackaged the Guinness bottle. In terms of impact, these campaigns are still holding sway The Guinness stout in terms of brand strenght has the highest brand strenght as revealed by consumers research that test brands strenght. We also spent heavilty on media to drive these campaigns. I am proud to be part of this,” he told The Nation.

    Prior to taking up this assignment, Seni was the Managing Director of Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd., based in Accra, Ghana and East African Breweries Ltd., based in Nairobi, Kenya where he achieved great success. Having completed his assignment Adetu will report to Nick Blazquez, President, Diageo Africa and Asia, starting January 2015. The details of Seni’s next role will be subject to a further announcement says Guinness Nigeria.

     

  • LP candidate campaigns

    LP candidate campaigns

    Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate Alhaji Fatai Akinbade has condemned promoters of “stomach infrastructure”, accusing them of introducing a dangerous trend into the polity.

    Akinbade, who spoke at his campaign rally in Osogbo, the state capital, noted that good governance and programmes were antidotes against “stomach infrastructure.”

  • ‘Osun: Tension will drop as campaigns wind down’

    ‘Osun: Tension will drop as campaigns wind down’

    Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, the convener of the Osun State Stakeholders Sensitisation Workshop on 2014 Governorship Election, spoke to select journalists in Osogbo on what he observed in the forthcoming election and other issues. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, was there and reports

    What do you make of the huge turnout for the workshop after the poorly attended Ekiti workshop?

    Well, I don’t want to say that Ekiti was a poorly attended workshop. Because we didn’t see the major contestants does not make the workshop poor. Election matter is more of participants at the grassroots and  party affair. So, once you are able to get the leaders of the party in attendance, you have achieved the purpose. And like I said to you in Ekiti , my duty as convener is to make sure that  I speak  personally to the candidates, including the incumbents. I did so in Ekiti without exemption. I did so in Osun without exemption.

    Like I said, the Ekiti one was that  we had some slight misunderstanding, gap in communication between us and IPAC. Then this time around, after associating with us when we did the all-party summit, it clearly gave them an indication that we mean no harm. They now saw that it was in their own interest that we work hand in hand. The essence of the workshop is for the people.  The absence of one is absolutely insignificant compared to the electorate that the workshop is supposed to guide. When you look at it from the perspective of oh, the governor did not come, the leading  candidates did not come; but the fact is that the parties under which platform they are contesting are present to convey the message. The governorship candidate may suddenly have a call from a friend who is passing by, saying come and pick up some support. For him, it is probably  more important than coming to workshop to talk about violent-free election. We thanked God that it went well.

    In Ekiti you had a template, you did not allow the leaders of the party to speak, but here in Osun, party leaders were allowed to speak. What accounted for that? The leading party candidates were not here, and there were complains that they should have been around to hear what the participants in workshop said?

    My colleague, Senator Fajinmi, the person who complained, I said distinguished senator, since you have the opportunity to speak, you would have told them that the problem you are having are these candidates, you don’t keep it to yourself. Why you saw that party leaders were allowed to speak was that IPAC  came with some party chairmen and we want to make sure that we enlist their support. There are about 20 candidates,  we want to ensure that the elections go smoothly, peacefully and free and fair.

    Do you think what you have done today will ensure a free and fair election. The PDP  deputy governorship candidate was going to expose something, he made mention of some persons called state boys, but he was not allowed to finish, those state boys from what we heard are armed. Do you think these state boys lurking around the corner will not undermine the election?

    The sensitisation workshop is not for me to check armed state boys. I don’t have that capacity. The people who have the capacity have been alerted. I read about it last week that they have made a formal complaint to the IG. And I am sure that the State Security Service is also aware. And they will know the best thing to do in such a matter. I think that is their duty. I have done my own duty. There is supposed to be harmony to promote a peaceful atmosphere for a free and fair election.

    These series of  workshops, on the face value appear to aide peaceful election where they were held. In Ekiti the election was peaceful but the APC complained of scientific rigging before the election?

    After many years of being in this game, it is difficult to flog a child and tell the child not to cry. The rhythm of the cry will always be different from one child to another. One may be crying in Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo. There is nothing you do that a political party will not have reason to say this is why we lost this election. What I am trying to say here is that we are going through a process of re-engineering and at the end of the day we would come to the reality that we have to understand that the style that was adopted by Kayode Fayemi is probably a civilised and modern day approach, that when you lose an election and you are convinced, you congratulate the winner. Kayode is not a baby. Kayode is one of the best brains in this country. So, he must have given it a deep thought before he made his broadcast to the good people of the state. What follows thereafter is politics.

    Some observers say that the presence of the military during the Ekiti State governorship election was the reason for the violence-free election in the state. Using that as a model, will it be right to say that using the military would be the solution to Nigeria’s election matters?

    Well, there are places that are volatile and when you identify such places you need to beef up security to make sure you don’t allow people to disrupt the activities on ground. That will then guide and protect the votes of the people. Yes, some people have been complaining of heavy military presence on ground but the complaints are not that the military presence was used to promote party A or party B. When you notice areas that are volatile, then your duty will be to beef up the security. There are some other states where you don’t need to deploy the military because they are not volatile as others.

    If we adopt that as a pattern, during the general election, if we have six to seven volatile states, what do we do?

    There is what they call operational order within the security services. If they have made it an operational order, I am sure that they would have gone back to the drawing board to see how they will be able to do virtually the same thing in 2015. You will look at the flash points across the country and that would help or guide you on how to deploy your men. What I am trying to say here is that you have to keep improving as time goes on. We have not arrived there yet. People were skeptical about INEC, particularly after the 2011 elections but Anambra was better last year, Ekiti was better last month. You could see the improvement after seven months. The lapses you noticed in Anambra were completely covered in Ekiti. When you try to make sure that you cover such lapses, it reduces the possibility of manipulation or intervention negatively.

    I was speaking with someone and he said, Nigeria has not had it so bad like this before. Seven months to the 2015 general election, there are no known aspirants for the office of the president apart from Sam Nda-Isaiah that has declared. Someone was also saying that politicians are taking voters for granted. What does that portend?

    I don’t agree with you. INEC has a time table and you have to follow the time table…Campaigning is different and signifying your intention is another thing.

    But you have to follow the time table. If somebody wants to run and he is consulting quietly, how would you know? I know of people who have interest. Running for presidential election is not a child’s affair. For you to go into the presidential race you have to consult to be sure of what and what is on the ground. You have to have a structure. APC thought it was easy but as you can see they are now facing their own internal wrangling. If they don’t sort that out now before going to talk about, who will fly the flag of the party, your guess is as good as mine. Even in the PDP, we are doing some reconciliations. As you can see, the National Chairman, who people refer to as the game changer is moving around and he has brought some innovations, which are making the party come alive by trying to make sure that he reaches out. Fortunately for him, he has been a governor and most of these problems emanate from governors that want you to do this or that. But at the end of the day they are leaders of their various states. So, they have found their equal match and colleague Ahmed Muazu. So, it makes things much easier.

    From what you saw today in Oshogbo may you predict the outcome of the Osun Governorship Election. People are saying that the principal actors are heating up the system. Besides, we know the history of Osun as another hotbed of political violence in the South-West zone, the core area of the historic Wild Wild West?

    Well, history may have placed them in a position to do what they did then but nobody wants to leave a negative history for perpetuity. I think the same history will want to place them in a different page and chapter today. I don’t think they want to go out and put flames all over the state. I don’t think they want to do that. All the people that spoke at the workshop spoke in favour of peaceful and violence-free election. But again, until the campaigns wind down, this temperature will remain high. The candidates themselves, all of them are big boys in the political terrain; they are very senior players in the terrain. That is how it is but believe you me, I think the temperature will drop as the campaigns wind down. I am not a Soothsayer but I believe it would be so. Even the necessary agencies are doing their best to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

    At the Ekiti workshop, the Commissioner of Police was there but here in Osun the commissioner did not come….

    Again, you cannot stop them from going to perform the functions they need to perform. We have gone to some states where the commissioner will send representatives in mufti to at least hear what the candidates have to say. But for the direct attack on the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti by Ayo Fayose, which made the Chairman of the event to invite the Commissioner of Police to react, we do not really invite them to come and address the audience at the sensitisation workshops. They face their duties and do their jobs.

    One of the recommendations of the National Conference was the creation of 18 additional states. But there are mixed reactions. Some are arguing that most of the existing states are not viable. What is your take on this issue?

    My take is that all the recommendations will still go to the National Assembly. So, I am not in a hurry to talk about the recommendations. It is one thing to make recommendations, it is another to get them accomplished. So, since the recommendations will still go to the National Assembly, there is still an opportunity to know if the recommended states are viable or not. My response therefore is that you don’t cross the bridge until you get there.

    Some people have expressed fears on the way the National Conference ended without reaching agreement on some sensitive issues and thereby referring them back to the President. Also DSP Alamieyesiegha had complained that his people are threatened by serious environmental degradations. Some say these kinds of disagreements, threats and complaints heighten the fear of possible split in the near future. What do you think?

    Nobody wants Nigeria to split because they know that the strength of this country is her size and unity. So, I don’t think there is anything wrong with the decision to end the National Conference the way it ended. The president has set up a small technical committee to cross the ‘T’s’ and dot the ‘I’s, so to say.

    I can assure you that nobody wants this country to split.

    Even from the confab, you see how they handled issues. DSP may convey the message of his people. They will listen to him and they will look at it. DSP is also a leader of his zone by any stretch of imagination. He is also a leader of his people. At the appropriate time, there are other leaders that will sit together and be able to say, are we doing the right thing and if we are not, let us do the right thing, or approach other zones and say this is what we want. It’s give and take. Whatever we do, we need to reach some level of understanding. Take the case of state creation. Before they went to the issue of state creation for all, all of them agreed on that of the South-East and said its a clear case of injustice, so, they all agreed on creation of additional state for the zone first.

    So long as we know, nothing concrete has been done since our girls were abducted at Chibok even with the aid of the international community. What is the situation?

    We are talking about a very delicate assignment. Even the international community sees it as such. The intention of every one of us is to rescue the abducted girls alive. So even when you have information of the exact location of where the girls are kept, you don’t intend to storm it because, what they will do is to use them as shield. And what becomes the end of the whole exercise? So, it is a very delicate assignment that requires a lot of experience and a lot of tact to subdue and overcome the terrorists. It is painful that we are talking about all these days after the abduction, but we want these girls back safe and that is what the president has been concerned about, having regular meetings with the service chiefs and security agencies again and again. It is not an easy task because of that peculiar nature of the assignment. There is no magic to it than to be very careful, very tactful in approaching it. So far, the reports have been indicating the possibility that they would be rescued sooner than later. I believe that this matter is very sensitive and once we talk about it, we have to also remember that their parents are there. Anytime we raise this matter, we also raise their feelings one way or the other. So we have to be very careful and continue to pray.

  • Thrilling campaigns at OAU

    Thrilling campaigns at OAU

    The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, has conducted the Students’ Union Government (SUG) election. The exercise will be remembered for the comical manner candidates conducted their campaigns. KEMI BUSARI and SIKIRU AKINOLA (400-Level Political Science) write.

    The Students’ Government (SUG) elections at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, are always full of theatrics.

    The last SUG election was not an exception. Even the three-year ban on unionism did not stop the drama that always attends electioneering.

    It was time for election, following the restoration of unionism.

    It began with the sale of nomination forms, which went for N100. Though the nomination forms were cheap, some of the aspirants ended up spending hundreds of thousands of naira, campaigning.

    From the Halls of Residence to the academic area, walls and boards were covered in aspirants’ posters, banners and fliers. Some took to graffiti.

    Many of these posters were pasted at strange locations. Some were seen on waste bins, toilet doors;  some students wore their posters to make themselves popular. The outspoken among the candidates took their campaigns to the hostels and classrooms.

    The campaigns took a dramatic turn when Adebayo Aladesanye, one of the candidates vying for Social Director, who is known on campus as DJ Daruga, brought a bag of beans, a large local iron pot, adogan (local stove) and firewood to Awolowo Hall. The food was cooked for the occupants, known for their legendary consumption of beans.

    While the food was being prepared, students in other halls got information about the meal. They came to join their colleagues in Awolowo Hall, chanting Aro (comic) songs.

    When the food was ready, students surrounded the pot with different types of bowl, including small pots and water buckets to be served.

    Adebayo said: “I decided to cook beans to revive the Ewa (bean) Day we used to celebrate in Awolowo Hall. I knew students living in the hall would never appreciate anything except beans.”

    Adebayo’s opponent, Adewale Adesina, a 300-Level Demography and Social Statistics student, held a dance and soccer contest for students as campaign strategy. Participants won cash prizes up to N5,000.

    Adewale’s supporter told CAMPUSLIFE that the candidate initially had the plan to feed Awolowo Hall occupants but “an opponent hijacked the strategy”.

    Another drama ensued when Oluwafunmilola Oladejo, a Vice Presidential candidate known as Olori, took her campaign to Awolowo Hall. As OAU tradition demands, female aspirants must kneel down to show respect to the occupants of the hall.

    Oluwafunmilola did, but it was not enough for the male students. They demanded to know her boyfriend. The following conversation took place: “What is your name?” “Olori,” she answered. “Who is your boyfriend?”, “the kings,” she responded. “Where are they?” “They live in Awolowo Hall,” she replied.

    Satisfied with the responses, Oluwafunmilola was allowed to campaign in the hostel.

    On Manifesto Day at the Amphi Theatre, all the candidates were asked to dobale (prostrate) on the podium before speaking on their programmes. Candidates, who forgot to prostrate before the audience, were booed off the stage.

    There was drama when students discovered that the candidates, who enjoyed the loudest ovation, had been disqualified.

    A student said: “The campaigns themselves are a good comedy show that is free for all students. It has been interesting all the way. At times, I find it hard to decide which campaign to witness because the candidates ran funny campaigns.”

    Isaac Ibikunle, a Law student, was elected the union president; Olufunmilola, vice president. Olatayo Shittu is the General Secretary.

    Others elected are Louis Awode, Assistant General Secretary, Bamidele Oludare, Public Relations Officer, Adewale Adesina, Director of Socials, Damilola Oludayo, Director of Sports, Omolayo Awoyemi, Financial Secretary and Martins Ajewole, Welfare Officer.

  • Council poll: ACN campaigns for CPC chairmanship candidate

    Following the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progress Change (CPC) into the All Progressives Congress (APC), the two parties yesterday reached an understanding that ACN members should vote for the CPC candidate, Mr. Musa Dikko, in the chairmanship election in Bwari Area Council at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on March 16.

    The ACN aspirant, Gladys Okonzor, who spoke to our correspondent during a joint meeting of the two parties in Bwari, Abuja, said: “Our party has instructed us that we should work with the CPC.” It was learnt that due to the merger, members of the CPC in Abaji Area Council would vote for the ACN chairmanship candidate in the poll.

    The Chairman of ACN in Bwari Area Council, Mr. Michael Ogbichi, said members of the two parties were happy to have merged into the APC.