News
It’s Dangerous Joining Corrupt States to Emulate UK in Plotting Voter Suppression
By Joel Popoola
This week, an unelected head of state – sitting on a throne – announced plans to make it harder for their subjects to vote.
In the Queen’s Speech – in which the British government outlines legislative plans for the coming year – her majesty Queen Elizabeth announced plans requiring voters to bring formal photographic ID such as a passport or driving license, to vote in elections – even though many of the poorest Britons have no such identification.
The British government insisted the move is necessary for “increasing transparency, fairness and accountability” – the very values the digital democracy campaign I lead is dedicated to advancing in Nigeria’s political system.
But these plans will do nothing of the kind – the United Kingdom seems determined to commit a naked act of voter suppression potentially as shady as anything witnessed in any of Nigeria’s more corrupt states.
Our political process has much to learn from our former colonisers in terms of modernity and transparency. But it is critical that we do not copy these proposals.
As of May 2020, 41,000,000 Nigerians were registered in our national ID programme – meaning something like 160,000,000 were not. These voters are likely to be amongst our poorest and most excluded citizens. We must not exclude them further by making formal photographic ID a voting requirement.
Current estimates suggest only 38% of Nigerians have any sort of identification. Although free voter cards are issued at election times, far too many Nigerians are unable to access them as it is.
We all know how difficult it can be to get any accepted means of identification in Nigeria. A driver’s licence costs up 10,450 Naira. A passport can cost as much as 70,000 Naira.
Even when this is affordable, which to many Nigerians it is not; it is not unknown for the process of obtaining these items to take up to four years.
As a result, it is not unusual for bribes to be necessary to accelerate the process.
We cannot allow bribery to become necessary as part of plans to reduce fraud!
As Director-General of the NIMC, Aliyu Aziz has said:
“Over 100 million Nigerians have no identity (ID). These include the poorest and the most vulnerable groups, such as the marginalised – women and girls, the less-educated people, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, people with disabilities and people living in rural and remote areas.”
Our democracy cannot be accessible only to the urban and the affluent.
If turnout falls any further in Nigerian elections the very legitimacy of our democracy will be called into question. Turnout in our last presidential election was 34.8% – not only half of that in Ghana’s last presidential election, but the worst in West Africa.
What is to be done? The answer could be at our fingertips.
As I never tire of telling people; more Nigerians own a smartphone than voter’s card.
My Digital Democracy Project is designed to reconnect electors and the elected using technology.
Our free Rate Your Leader mobile is designed to helps politicians engage directly with people who elected them, by putting them in direct person-to-person contact with verified voters.
Rate Your Leader helps voters bring important issues to the attention of local leaders, and lets communities and their elected representatives collaborate to make local areas better.
The Rate Your Leader app also helps politicians understand what matters most to the people who elect them and build relationships of trust with the electorate. The app allows voters rate their leaders on accessibility and accountability, highlighting their value and values to their neighbours, family, friends and peers.
By facilitating relationships of trust between electors and elected, we aim to inspire trust in the political system as a whole, encouraging people to vote by proving to them that democratic politics can deliver positive change and is worth engaging with.
Even the British government itself admits that this proposal is a solution in search of a problem, publicly stating in March that “the United Kingdom is world-renowned for running elections of the highest standards in which voters can have full confidence.” Estimates suggest that Electoral Fraud is suspected in just 0.000057% of British votes.
It is no wonder that so many people are so concerned about plans that may shut many legitimate voters out of the democratic process.
In Nigeria enough people already do this to themselves, voluntarily. We need to get more people to vote. Not less!
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and is the creator of the Rate Your Leader mobile app. He can be reached via @JOPopoola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There is no gainsaying the fact that everyone desirous of making impact in life must live a life of purpose. This is where knowledge and information come to play. It is these knowledge and information that will set an individual apart from his contemporaries.
I strongly believe, if one is not informed, they are ill-informed, and when they are ill-informed, they can’t perform well in any given endeavour. This is because information leads to reformation and transformation. We can therefore, confidently say that information leads to formation because everyone is a product of what they know.
Knowledge acquisition is one of the best things that can happen to anyone. People with knowledge are revered, and highly respected. Having knowledge is like having money. People from all walks of life will seek you.
There are different kinds of knowledge, and they include Revealed Knowledge, which comes from those who wrote the Bible and Intuitive Knowledge, which comes from the mind. It is the ability to gain knowledge without conscious reason or explanation.
Others are Empirical Knowledge, which is information gained through observation, experimentation, and direct experience, rather than through theoretical reason or intuition; Authoritative Knowledge, which is the knowledge a man has because of his expertise in a particular field; and finally but not the least, Rational Knowledge, which is a form of knowledge that uses reasoning and philosophy to understand the world.
From this illustration, a decisive mind can see that knowledge is priceless. Knowledge is like education. It can provide security and access. Even the Book of life says in Proverbs 4:13, “your education is your life, guard it very well”; and in Hosea 4:6 that “my people perish for lack of knowledge”.
From my personal experience in life, apart from death, one of the greatest levelers of all time is education. This is because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. That explains why children from humble backgrounds ought to take their education very seriously, especially if they don’t have affluence.
On a personal note, I come from a very humble background, my late parents didn’t have the opportunity of acquiring a decent education, but they knew the value of education and endeavored to give me and my siblings a decent education. In retrospect, when I look back and see some of my contemporaries whose parents couldn’t give them a decent education, I bless my late parents because education has exposed me to lots of opportunities in the United States, and the global world in addition to granting me an audience with the high and mighty in society.
Sometimes, when I look at my modest achievement, I’m deeply humbled because I know it is the grace of God. Who am I to author two amazing trailblazers’ books, get featured and profiled by the New York Times, engage in high level conversation with leaders of thought and captains of industries. Apart from the grace of God, intentional seeking of knowledge, and wise counsel from mentors and strategically positioning myself have been some of the cornerstone to my success.
Imagine if my late parents didn’t give me a decent education and opportunity of travelling to the United States, most of these opportunities and exposure wouldn’t have been readily available.
When one is decently enlightened, educated and informed about life, their level of reasoning and understanding differ from an ordinary man. If one desires to go far in life, one must seek knowledge.
It is your knowledge that sets you apart from others.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished Ghostwriter, “If you are a man of great knowledge, people will have great respect for you. If you are a man of great wisdom, people will have great reverence for you. And if you are a man of both, great knowledge and great wisdom, you will be the most eminent of men. But in real terms, people don’t care how much you know, or how much wisdom you have, unless they know how much you care.”
The moral of this quote is that despite the knowledge and information at one’s disposal, if one lacks empathy, their knowledge, experience and whatever they have mean nothing.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overemphasized. In our contemporary society, a fast way of attracting opportunities is by showcasing the knowledge at one’s disposal. It is so sad that many people don’t take time to read, research and learn new trends applicable in their industry, and in the world generally and as such, they find it difficult to fit in and grow.
It is instructive to note that when you seek knowledge, opportunities will seek for you. A major reason people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems and to solve problems, one ought to have understanding. Do you know that if you don’t have money, the reason is often because you are not solving a problem, or you are not solving enough problems, or you are not solving the right problem or you are not solving problems for the right people. Generally, we make money because we have something unique to offer to the world. Therefore, to solve problems, one must have knowledge and information.
We currently live in an age of technological, where skills, talent and creativity are in high demand. Any progressive being that desires to go far must be intentional in seeking knowledge. Successful acquisition of knowledge, information and understanding can lead to discernment and wisdom.
In conclusion, as you journey towards life, if you want to make an impact, seek opportunities, and earn more money, do yourself a favour by endeavoring to seek knowledge, wisdom, and information. You can’t get these by sitting on your sofa or staying in your comfort zone.
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
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
