Vote to end 12 years of Corruption and Maladministration

A voter casting his vote. Photo Credit. Capacity4Development

Vote to end 12 years of Corruption and Maladministration in Nigeria

Twelve years of the corruption and maladministration of the ruling party have left the majority of the citizens poorer and powerless with the nightmares of incessant political assassinations, extrajudicial killings, ethnic and religious riots, terrorist attacks and systemic collapse of government administration jeopardizing public health care, public education and economic security of the poor majority in Nigeria.

We had botched National Assembly Elections on Saturday April 2, and there were glaring electoral lapses. Then the elections were rescheduled and the first round of the elections was held last Saturday April 9, 2011.

There were critical issues of violence and many cases of malpractices. But before we could read the reports of the total results, the incumbent President of Nigeria, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rushed to claim that he has fulfilled his promise of electoral reforms and allowing free and fair elections. But the most important gubernatorial and presidential elections have not been conducted and the remaining National Assembly elections are still pending.

The political fanatics and sycophants of the president and his shamelessly corrupt ruling party have gone to town to hoodwink the ignorant masses and screaming the same misleading claim of free and fair elections when they have not been concluded. It is like a student claiming that he has already passed his final examinations when he has only done the first examination or claiming success when you have not even completed the assignment. This is the same dishonest way Nigerians engage in the notorious crime of 419 advance fee fraud by claiming that they have some huge loot they would share with their White “mugu” if the “mugu” provided thousands of dollars to process the documents for the collection of the loot. The ruling party has been using the same political 419 to lure and con the millions of ignorant masses who have become their political “mugus” or political zombies.

In a country known for mass failures of the pupils and majority of the students engage in examination malpractices with impunity, it is not unusual for them to accept the political 419 of these desperate and greedy political contractors and their beneficiaries who would prefer a corrupt way of life to an honest way of life. If you are a stranger here, don't panic. If you cannot beat them, you might as well join them and share in the looting of the treasury, pay a fat tithe, give a large offering, contribute to the heavenly purse of their celebrated bishops to buy a new private jet, build a new private university for the children of the rich looters and ask God for forgiveness. It is business as usual in Nigeria and life goes on in the house of dogs. But there are true Nigerian patriots who have resolved to end this corrupt government of kleptomaniacs and sack their kleptocracy and replace it with a new government of an honest and transparent leadership for the reformation and transformation of the country in the nation building of a New Nigeria in the leadership of Africa in the 21st century.

These uncivilized Nigerians are not ready to practice democracy

INEC Polling Centre in Nigeria

From field reports all over Nigeria, the National Assembly Elections of last Saturday April 9, 2011, have not been really free and fair.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega has shown that he has been overwhelmed by the herculean task of conducting free and fair elections in a nation that is ruled by corruption at all levels of public administration and the unscrupulous citizens prefer ignominious ways of life to honourable and noble values and virtues of a civilized society and they would rather practice kleptocracy instead of democracy.

One of the shocking cases of corruption is the current political drama in Anambra State over the polls in the Anambra Central Senatorial District where Mr. Alex Anene, the returning officer/collation officer of INEC alleged that his life has been threatened by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the state government, because he refused the offer of N10million, a duplex and a car to falsify the result in favour of APGA's candidate Prof. Dora Akunyili and deny the actual winner Dr. Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

These are the agonies and ironies of President Goodluck Jonathan's Nigeria as vividly captured in Jekwu Ozoemene's The Anger of Unfulfillment: Three Plays Out of Nigeria as he aptly addressed the dreams and nightmares of Nigerians confronting the contemporary challenges of life in the most populous country in Africa. A nation so well endowed with great human and mineral resources, but abused and misused by corrupt rulers.

In civilized nations, the omissions of the names or logos of any duly registered political party on the ballot are enough to cancel the entire election. Therefore, let us stop all these mischievous gerrymandering of electoral fraud and do the right thing or annul the whole April elections until further notice.

I will not join in the bandwagon of political sycophants and opportunists to flatter the so called winners or pat Professor Attahiru Jega on the back until I see political equity and electoral justice in every state in Nigeria.
Whatever is worth doing at all, should be done well.

These uncivilized Nigerians are not ready to practice democracy.

This is my final verdict on the NASS polls.


~ Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

Jega, Show Your Best Crisis Management Skills within 24 Hours

Prof Attahiru Jega

Prof Attahiru Jega, Show Your Best Crisis Management Skills in the Next 24 Hours


As Nigerians, we must face the reality that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega has spoken and it matters not whether his reasons for postponing the April 2nd parliamentary election to Monday are realistic or not. Why, because we are in a crisis now.

What is clear is that we need an environment where this crisis could be managed effectively. There is no doubt that on a psychological and spiritual level, this sudden occurrence is a major event that threatens to harm the faith we have in the system.

INEC, on behalf of the general public should effectively manage the threatposed by this huge matter as it relates to the element of surprise, and we all expect a short decision time for this to be done.

Jega has told us that he saw what was happening in the last few hours as a crisiswhich needed to be quenched, that is a process of transformation that needed to climb above existing failures. As for the chairman, this issue need not be maintained but corrected immediately for change sake.
According to Jega, if the change is not proceeded with the episode could become more of a national humiliation and fiasco—no one wants such doom.

To the credit of President Jonathan, instead of remaining outside the nation’s capital(as he was reportedly in his home town), mistakes we have seen before, even among leaders in the western world;he returned to the capital immediately, and took the first instant step required in risk management, which involves assessing would-be threats and discovering for the people the best ways to avoid further complications to this threat.
In the broader context of managing this political crisis every INEC worker and those involve in executing the elections must immediately be trained in crisis management skills in addition to other skills and techniques required to pinpoint, assess, understand, and cope with any serious situation, especially from the moment it first occurs to the point of when the regaining procedures start.

According to the Nigeria’s electoral commission, some States have already began voting, therefore the sacredness of those completed ballot papers in today’s parliamentary vote, must be protected.
This is not the time for casting blames or passing emotions across personnel or stakeholders at this time. There will be time for that! Because the conduct of elections falls through the 4th, the 9th and the 16th of this month, Jega must show not through apology, but through competence that within this short period of time, that all regional constituents, INEC facilities, finances and above all its reputation does not remain in crisis.

Jega must realize that good crisis management is an art in decision making required to reduce or mitigate the effects of this current episode, something needed now while the incident itself is unfolding.

Jega should realize right now, while corrective decisions are being made workers and management as well as the INEC institutions are under stress, therefore there is need to watch out for more mistakes such as missing key pieces of information that are needed now.

Essential planning is needed now in order to best position INEC for the coming elections beginning April 4th.so as to reduce further chaos and doubts over what could happen next in terms of maintaining proper logistics.

Jega must help the workers or those involve in the electoral work engage in a series of positive behaviors (e.g.Restful sleep, take a break, support personnel, releasing muscle tension, good food habits, sit in a comfortable chair, etc.).

These tips are important to enhance better time management as they relate to quick manning of the polling units, focused entering of the results in the sheets, upholding the integrity of the ballots as well as preserving the effective overall control of the voting process.

This is a very critical and sensitive time for all of us and we must avoid planting into the consciousness of some people words of apprehension, upheaval, manipulation, or division.

What Jega needs now in this short period is an unwavering support from all Nigerians as we join together to fight this sudden uproar, and if the transmission of free, fair and credible elections is what we yearn for let’s take Jega for his stressful words, and with this little delay the credibility of the elections will be fully or almost ensured. God bless Nigeria.



~ By John EgbeazienOshodi, Ph.D., DABPS; FACFE; is a Licensed Clinical/Forensic Psychologist; Diplomate of American Board of Psychological Specialties; Fellow of American College of Forensic Examiners (For Psy); Former Interim Associate Dean and an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Broward College - North Campus, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu