Tag: Friday

Shortly after former President Goodluck Jonathan stepped into office in 2010, following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, his most pressing challenge was appointing an electoral umpire. With the nation’s experience in the hands of Prof Maurice Iwu, Nigerians were praying that Jonathan should not make a wrong choice. They wanted an electoral umpire with integrity and sagacity. Riding on the crest of public goodwill, Jonathan, at every opportunity, promised to give us a man of honour; a man who will not sell his conscience for a mess of porridge.

When he finally named Prof Attahiru Jega as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman in June 2010, many agreed that he made a right choice.  But will Jega do the right thing? Or will he follow the footsteps of many of his predecessors, who saw their position as an opportunity to enrich themselves? These were some of the worries of the public, who reasoned that our electoral fortunes lie in the hands of the INEC chief.

For a free and fair election, the INEC chief must, like Caesar’s wife, be above board. Where the umpire is of questionable character, the electoral process is at risk. He will destroy a process, which, by virtue of his position, he is expected to protect.  In the discharge of his duty, the INEC chairman must be purpose driven; he must be ready to make sacrifices and to step on toes.

It goes without saying that he must be uncompromising. Herein lies the enormous responsibility thrust upon the INEC chief and this is why many are against the appointment of such a person by the sitting president. But no matter how we all feel about the issue, it is a constitutional duty, which only the president can discharge. They prefer that the INEC chief be appointed by persons that will not contest election to ensure transparency of the process. Their fear is that where the president, who is the appointing authority stands for election,  the INEC chief may be favourably disposed to him.  Simply put, he may rig for the president?

Such fears are not unfounded. We run a system where he who pays the piper calls the tune. We have seen how in the past electoral umpires openly showed bias for the government in power because of the belief that they owe allegiance to the administration whose head appointed them and not the country. The way Iwu conducted the 2007 general elections remain a reference point. Those were no elections. Iwu did everything to ensure that the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) returned to power all because he was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo whose body language indicated that he wanted the late President Yar’Adua to succeed him.

What Iwu did not know is that he did not have to kowtow to the government of the day in the discharge of his duty. The INEC chair is constitutionally protected as long as he does his job conscientiously.

Where an electoral umpire is open and transparent the people will know; where he is corrupt and inept they will also know. The people are no fools; they can see what is happening, no matter what the INEC chair or those in power may say. The INEC job is delicate; it is also a thankless job and a grave yard of reputations.

Many have gone in there and come out with their reputations rubbished. This is why those lucky to get the job must do it honourably. Jega, Iwu’s successor, has shown that one can hold that delicate job and still come out with his head held high. We cannot call Jega a saint because saints do not walk the face of the earth, but he proved that you can be an electoral umpire without bringing opprobrium unto yourself. He acquitted himself well  in the two elections he conducted in 2011 and a few months ago.

His conduct of the last general elections is especially commendable. It was his calmness in the face of extreme provocation on March 31 that saved a smooth electoral process from being truncated by forces of darkness led by  a so-called Elder Godsday Orubebe. Jega navigated the landmines planted by Orubebe and his comrade-in-arm Col Bello Fadile and ensured the successful conclusion of the March 28 presidential election. If those landmines had exploded, we would have had another June 12 on our hands and another long, dark night. Thank God for Jega and his superb handling of the situation.

No good thing lasts forever. Last Tuesday, Jega bowed out after a successful five-year tenure. He has left a worthy legacy, which his successor must not only build on, but also strive to surpass.

Black Friday

As they sat inside the bus, their minds would have travelled far. They would have thought of the things they would do once they get home. After a tedious first semester, they needed time to cool off and prepare for the second semester. Their first semester examination would have occupied their minds and their discussions during the trip. In their subconscious minds, they would have reflected on how they answered some questions and attempted to award themselves marks. That is the way of students. After examinations, they sit back and assess their performance and play the examiner by grading themselves. You could imagine the fun the students were having as the 18-seater bus left the garage for Lagos. It is a journey usually done under one hour, if the traffic permits. But on this day, the trip ended even before it began.

Inside the bus were nine students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State. There were three other passengers with them, including the driver. The journey had started well until they got to Ilishan. Since the bus was Lagos bound, the driver never expected that any vehicle going towards the Benin end of the expressway would share the same lane with him. So, before he knew what was happening a container-laden truck driving against traffic had run into him. The unlatched container fell on the bus, killing eight of the nine students and the remaining passengers. It was a monumental tragedy in which some promising young Nigerians were killed in their prime. How can we console the bereaved families? What do we say to the parents of these students? It is sad to have lost these students in such a way. My heart goes out to their parents.

May the late students – Eunice Odubanjo Oluwadamilola (200-Level Political Science), Mariam Omolade Ogunnoiki (100-Level Education), Yetunde Aribiola Elizabeth (100-Level Biochemistry), Suliat Adams Oluwatobi (100-Level Accounting), Funmilayo Pampam Latifat (100-Level Chemical Science), Christiana Asade Ibukun (200-Level Law), Ayoola Sheriff Gbolahan (100-Level Agricultural Engineering) and Olatunji Dairo Michael (400-Level Physics) rest in the bosom of the Lord. We wish the accident’s lone survivor, Akinbo Laughter Ibukunoluwa (300-Level Chemical Science), speedy recovery. May this ginger the government to move against these killer truck drivers. They have done enough havoc on our roads.