News
Digital Democracy: Electronic Transfer of Votes Makes for Better Communication with Voters
By Joel Popoola
There seems to be a lot of donkey business in the National Assembly this week.
Firstly a constitutional debate in the Senate was set aside so lawmakers could consider a bill regulating donkey breeding.
Then House of Representatives speaker Femi Gbajabiamila was forced to deny reports that Electoral Act Amendment Bill was being altered to outlaw the electronic transfer of election results.
The speaker’s statement came in response to a question by Representative Ugonna Ozurigbo who stated constituents have “inundated him” with calls opposing the move.
Press reports had already prompted more than twenty organisations to voice alarm that the decision would undermine the Independent National Election Commission’s efforts to improve the efficiency and credibility of Nigerian elections.
Commission Chair, Mahmood Yakubu, has already described the manual process of collating votes, calling it “expensive and cumbersome (and) sometimes chaotic” and highlighting how the current law forces officials to “write results manually and collate them manually right from the polling unit to the ward, from the ward to the local government, then, the state and from the state to the national level, in the case of the presidential election”.
Mr Yakubu continued: “A lot has been achieved in other climes with the simple application of technology. So, the encumbrances to the deployment of technology in the transmission of election results should be removed.”
Instead of this, some lawmakers at least seem to have attempted to establish more encumbrances- at the expense of our democracy.
As the leader of the campaign to improve democracy in Nigerian through the deployment of established and easy-to-use digital technologies I believe that if we are to restore the credibility of our electoral processes it is vital that we use more electronic technology – not less.
It will be clear to anyone that the current process detailed by Mr Yakubu is riddled with weak spots which make it far too easy for votes to be manipulated and falsified.
This is one of the many reasons why Nigerians – and international observers – do not trust our elections.
Only 39% of Nigerians are satisfied with the way democracy is working in our country, while 60% say they are not satisfied.
And as a result our voter turnout is the worst in West Africa, with only one in three Nigerians bothering to vote in the last presidential election, compared to almost 70% in Ghana.
Electronic transmission of election results is a simple safeguard that every vote cast was counted correctly, and counted for the correct candidate.
But we don’t just need safer communication between officials – we also need better communication between elected and electors.
We do not know for certain that there ever was an attempt to ban electronic communication of election results, or whether rumours and gossip simply got out of control.
The same newspaper that this week ran the headline “Senate Bows to Pressure to Restore Electronic Transfer of Results” also reported how Assembly leaders had “decried reports that the lawmakers were planning to remove electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act amendment bill”.
It was this confusion that led voters to “inundate” elected officials like Representative Ozurigbo with questions.
The Representative’s experience also proves how keen Nigerians are to engage with both politics and politicians
Sadly, credible channels of communication between voters and politicians are all-too-often missing in Nigeria.
In the era of fake news, it becomes harder and harder for voters to identify what it real and what is relevant on social media. They need clearer communication from their leaders.
At the digital democracy campaign I lead, we are attempting to address this issue by releasing free app called Rate Your Leader.
Rate Your Leader allows elected officials to interact directly with confirmed voters in the divisions they serve – and to do so in a way which makes offensive communication impossible and misleading communication unhelpful.
Politicians and people alike can use Rate Your Leader to engage person-to-person, understanding each other’s requirements and opinions. This way, leaders can find out rapidly what matters most to the people who elect them, and collaborate to address those issues.
Rate Your Leader also allows users to rate their politicians for their transparency and accessibility – signposting to their friends, neighbours and peers that this is a credible source of information.
In 2021 democracy is digital. Democracy means more – and needs more – than the administrative process of carrying it out.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and creator of the Rate Your Leader app.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There’s no doubt that human beings by nature are insatiable. When we get one opportunity, we always look for another. When we attain one height, we always look for another accomplishment. Isn’t it true that the end of one mountain is the beginning of another.
However, I don’t think it’s selfish for anyone to dare to succeed.
Being ambitious doesn’t make one an opportunist or disloyal. It all depends on one’s perception or outlook to life. It’s just natural for one to dream big. It’s only ugly when the process one chooses to achieve his desires becomes dirty and nasty.
According to a former Nigerian presidential candidate and seasoned Economist, Mr. Peter Obi, “if you must be referred to as “Your Excellency”, then the process through which you arrived in office must be excellent”.
If you desire to be reckoned with on the journey of existence, you must be legitimately hungry for success. One’s hunger for success will facilitate the drive to accomplish great tasks despite daunting obstacles posing as challenges.
When one has this mindset, one will not be bothered by the noise which serves as obstacles and challenges along the way. Negative and weak minds are always concerned on why something won’t work. They tend to focus their energy and reasons on the obstacles facing them. But great and productive minds always focus their energy on the reasons why it will work. This is the spirit of an insatiable mind who is a goal- getter.
It’s instructive to note that we can’t please everyone. According to Bill Cosby, a famous actor, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” Isn’t it true that when you talk, people will still talk about you, when you don’t talk, people will talk about you, so whether you talk or not, people will still judge you, so, do what’s best for you. There’s nothing you can do to please human beings. Your best option is to live your best life.
To understand how the insatiable nature of man works, one must be oneself. You don’t have to “please” anyone. Be yourself, and don’t try to be like anyone just to curry favour. It’s important to note that when you are yourself, the people that matter will come through for you, and the people that don’t matter will gradually find the bearing in another space because those that truly care don’t bother and those that bother don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Life has truly taught me to focus on the important things of life as opposed to the mundane things. It’s truly sad to see people spending more time on the little things of life, and spending little time on the important things of life. That’s just a misplaced priority.
When you are yourself, the best people can do is to copy or imitate your style. They can never imitate your creativity nor can take your originality from you.
We live in a world or society where people don’t generally care or show empathy. Most people tend to live around themselves, their family, and close associates. They generally find it hard to lift a finger to assist others for reasons best known to them. Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka once said, “we live in a wicked generation”, re-echoing the voices of a lot of people of the world. Some people in authority just have criminal expertise in amassing wealth of opportunities meant for the citizens without thinking of the citizens they are meant to serve.
It’s worthy of note that not everyone will like you nor support your work, but when you find people who truly care about you; please hold them tight. This is because despite having family members you have shown love and compassion, they might not still appreciate you even if you lay your life for them, they will still find something to say. Again, this is the insatiable nature of man.
It’s okay for everyone not to like you, normalize living your life for God, yourself, family and those that care about you. If everyone likes you, you have a problem.
Did you know that you can get a new family from friends, strangers, and acquaintances? These sets of people might appreciate you more than your own family members. They might not demand or under appreciate you like your family members and close friends or associates. Any little support you give them will be highly appreciated. Their focus is to see you do better.
In conclusion, as you desire to succeed in life, never give in to failure until you have made your last attempt, and never make your last attempt until you succeed. This literally means whatever you desire, dream it, think it, say it, and believe you can achieve it. This principle is generally applicable to relationships, businesses, family, personal and professional development.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
