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
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.
