special publication on the 2015 elections
Jonathan: We shall never go back to the old ways Are you better off today than in 2011? FACTS AND FALLACIES ABOUT THE PRESIDENT LAUGH it off: 10 obvious reasons 11 spoof quotes attributed to vote for GEJ to famous politicians
what they said...
A model of the Second Niger Bridge. Work has commenced contents
06. ten Reasons to Vote for GEJ 10. vital statistics - projects 46. footprints - transformation at a glance 78. a dozen famous lies 120. what they said 128. flashback - comments and assessments 164. press report 184. laugh it off 26 96 108 126 then and In his own The biography International now words leaders
4 Forward what they said... From the Co-ordinator
You’re holding a very important But, as you would find out in document ─ a publication that highlights this publication, he has recorded all that is good about Nigeria in the unprecedented strides in all the sectors last three or so years when President of the economy. It is said that ‘fact is Goodluck Ebele Jonathan assumed sacred and opinion is free’. Everybody has office.W e at the One Nigeria Coalition their opinion about the performance of (ONC) are interested only in the progress President Jonathan in his first term, but of Nigeria, and we are always very happy Isoken Omo we at ONC work with the facts. And the to associate with success. National Co-ordinator, facts are very encouraging. Facts are better We are convinced that President One Nigeria Coalition appreciated when you consider where you Jonathan represents a great forward are coming from to where you are now. leap in the leadership of Nigeria, and Clearly, we have more motorable federal this publication documents important roads today, from 4,500 kilometres in strides by his administration which, we believe, should 2010 to 25,000 kilometres today; we have expanded automatically recommend him for a second term ─ since our tertiary education infrastructure and instructional performance is a key factor in elections. capacity; Nigerians are playing a bigger part in the Improving the quality of life is the responsibility of oil & gas sector; Nigerian farmers are enjoying the any government, and President Jonathan has shown harvests of their lives; food importation bill has gone courageous and visionary leadership which has down dramatically; Nigeria is now a cement-exporting produced results that speak not just to today but will country; the airports are wearing a new look; the also lead us to a greater tomorrow. power sector is off on a firm footing with the successful privatisation; and so on and so forth. As the 2015 He met a lot of inadequacies on the ground: millions elections draw near, this is not the time to start risking of children out of school, insufficient infrastructure for the experience of trial and error by a new government tertiary education, thousands of kilometres of non- that may be more interested in politics and vengeance motorable federal roads, a retarded agricultural sector, than development. Having been in office for the last a fraud-ridden civil service payment structure, fading few years, President Jonathan is more in tune with the glory in sports, a troubled power sector, a convoluted current realities. This is no time for experimentations political system and several other challenges that made and reversals. life difficult for the average Nigerian. Nigeria has to move forward, not backward.
FORWARD is a publication of the One Nigeria Coalition, a non-profit, non-partisan group committed to promoting the political and economic development of Nigeria.
One Nigeria Coalition Address: 8 Abriba Close off Yola Street, Area 7 Garki Abuja Email: [email protected] Phone: +234 (0) 9099705934, +234 (0) 9099705935 SPECIAL THANKS to the Office of theS pecial Adviser to the President on Research, Documentation and Strategy for providing the highly valuable information reproduced in this collectors’ publication. We also thank The Lady Kaduna Foundation for its support ******* Magazine Design: Cover and Interior by Sunny Hughes ‘Sunza’
Forward 5 10 reasons to vote jonathan again
There are at least a thousand and one reasons why President Jonathan deserves to be re-elected. Below is a selection of just 10 of the obvious ones. Nigeria Should PROMOTING ONE Go Forward, Not NIGERIA IS NON- 1Backward 2NEGOTIABLE
One of the major setbacks for the In the history of Nigeria, President development of Nigeria is the trend Jonathan ranks among the most whereby a newly elected government committed in terms of uniting the nation. reverses or abandons the policies of Forget the propaganda of the opposition the previous government, especially and the mischief of the disgruntled: if both do not belong to the same President Jonathan has the most diverse party. This is very common in states but cabinet, electing to appoint more people also happens at the federal level, both from other parts of the country rather “One of the major in military and civilian dispensations. than his own ethnic group. Unlike in the Nigeria would most probably have past when heads of state and presidents setbacks for the overcome many of its challenges in always gave certain positions to their sectors such as power, education, oil kinsmen and women, President Jonathan development of Nigeria and transportation if previous plans had bucked the trend by making critical not been altered and implementation appointments, especially in security and is the trend whereby truncated by successive governments. finance, from across the nation. Federal a newly elected The reasons for this trend are many, most projects and appointments are evenly of which are political. A new government spread. He refused to play one part of government reverses or wants to say it has its own ideas, the country against the other - although thereby jettisoning good ideas of the his political opponents constantly accuse abandons the policies of predecessor. Having criticised a sitting him, without substance, of playing ethnic government in the quest for power, the and religious politics. For someone who the previous government, successor will almost certainly jettison comes from a minority group and has that government’s plans just for the sake close friends from all religious divides, especially if both do of it, so as not to be seen as endorsing President Jonathan’s desire is to see a ideas it had fiercely criticised.T o avoid country where people talk less about not belong to the same a reversal of key policies of President sectional issues but focus on one party” Jonathan such as the privatisation of the indivisible nation. He demonstrated power sector, agricultural transformation his belief in uniting and strengthening and industrial revolution, wise voters will Nigeria by successfully convening the give him another term in office. National Conference in 2014.
6 Forward what they said...
GOING FOR A MAN OF PREFERRING A BIRD IN 4HUMILITY 5H AND
Humility is, ordinarily, a virtue. With Anybody who listens to the opposition will humility, there is a down-to-earth conclude that they have the magic wand WE HAVE A disposition, a readiness to listen to to solve Nigeria’s problems. They criticise PRACTICAL, others, a willingness to accord honour virtually every programme and policy of 3HANDS-ON LEADER to whom honour is due and a desire to the Jonathan administration. They criticise forge co-operation even with those who the administration’s records in education, In spite of a very demanding and disagree with you. For President Jonathan, power, healthcare, roads, agriculture, unforgiving work schedule, President humility is a defining value which cannot job creation, anti-graft war and, in fact, Jonathan has earned the reputation of be compromised. Coming from a humble everything. They promise that if they are a public administrator who shows more background in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, elected into power, they will solve all of than a passing interest in the practical he grew up going to school without Nigeria’s problems. Not so fast! Charity, side of the work of his administration. shoes. This is a part of his story that he they say, begins at home. The governors Those who work closely with him often is ever willing to tell in order to inspire that were elected on the platform of the marvel at the barrage of questions he hope in millions of Nigerians who also opposition - or those who defected to the asks them concerning the progress of have humble beginnings. As President party along the line - can hardly claim to projects, be it a road construction, a of Nigeria, he has done the unthinkable have solved these problems of their states. retreat or a book. Commenting on the many times - bowing in reverence to How many of them have transformed administration’s initiative to reform men of God, elder statesmen and other healthcare and education in their states? sports after Nigeria’s failure at the 2012 senior citizens. To his opponents, this is How many of them have vigorously fought Olympics, former Minister, National “demeaning”. His humility is, in their corruption in their states? How many of Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Bolaji judgment, devaluing the office of the them have created jobs for their youths? Abdullahi, said in a media interview: “We President of Nigeria. This easily calls to How many have done rural electrification? were lucky we have a President Goodluck mind the story of King David in the Holy Is it when they get to Aso Rock that they Jonathan that understood the significance Bible also known as Prophet Dauda in the will suddenly become magicians? Wise of sports and he immediately convened Holy Quran. When the Ark of Covenant voters will give President Jonathan a a presidential retreat. It was the first was being moved from one location to the chance to continue what he has started. time ever that sports will be getting that other, David forgot his status and danced The grass always looks greener on the level of attention at the highest level of in reverence to God. His wife, Michal, other side. But all indications are that the political authority in Nigeria. The President berated him for belittling the throne with opposition will fumble abysmally if given sat through the 14 hours of the retreat...” his “unbefitting” public conduct. She died power. They are only fantastic at media That is practical leadership. childless while God called David “the man wars. after my own heart”. Humility is not a vice.
Forward 7 10 reasons to vote jonathan again
WE NEED A ACTION SPEAKS CONSENSUS- LOUDER THAN 6BUILDER 8WORDS A defining moment of President Politicians like to boast and make millions Jonathan’s political career was perhaps of promises in order to get elected. They the constitutional crisis created by RESILIENT AND promise voters heaven and earth. They sickness to President Umaru Musa UNSHAKABLE speak glowingly about how bad the sitting Yar’Adua. He was terminally ill and DETERMINATION government has been and how they will was unable to meet the constitutional 7 turn the country into el Dorado if they requirement that he should send a letter are elected into office. Unfortunately, to the National Assembly to allow his President Jonathan has been talk is cheap. Anybody can say anything. then Vice-President, Dr. Jonathan, to described as “weak” by many political Anybody can make any promise. President act in his prolonged absence. Aware commentators who have not taken Jonathan, however, is a deviation from the that there could be breakdown of time to study his personality. He is norm. He believes action speaks louder law and order if he assumed power humble, no doubt. He is a consensus- than words. Here are a few examples. He without legal authorisation, President builder, evidently. He has openly said did not promise to rebuild Lagos-Ibadan Jonathan resisted pressure to take critical he is no Nebuchadnezzar and should Expressway. He simply awarded the decisions that were beyond his powers. not be compared to military dictators. contract and work has started. He did not He wanted things done the proper way All these facts have, however, been make much noise about transforming the as expected in democracy, where rule mistaken for “weakness”. The belief lives of farmers. He simply went into action. of law is king. He believed a public that he is “weak” has also led to Fertilisers and input seeds are now readily consensus was needed to resolve the careless and disrespectful statements available to the farmers and their outputs crisis. This inspired an unprecedented by the opposition, who use words such are doubling and tripling in a matter of public mobilisation across the country. as “clueless” and “kindergarten” to three years. He did not make any noise Former presidents and heads of state, describe him. However, the President about Almajiris and girl-child education: governors, prominent statesmen and is obviously a strong character who is he simply set up schools for them to give women, traditional rulers, clerics, civil unwavering once he is convinced that them a future. society groups, politicians, lawmakers, he is on the right path. For him to run journalists and mass movements all in 2011 with all the intimidation and rallied round to arrive at a consensus threats of violence by those opposed that the right thing must be done. The to his candidature, all thoughts that he National Assembly thereafter invoked is weak should have been perished by the “doctrine of necessity” to resolve the now. The ferocious violence unleashed logjam. It remains a significant landmark by the Boko Haram sect after the 2011 in Nigeria’s history - and a testament elections should be enough to intimidate to President Jonathan’s philosophy of a weakling out of his authority. But the consensus-building. President has taken full control of the situation. Even the calculated blitzkrieg of the opposition, with their massive media war chest and deafening rabble- rousing, has not dissuaded the President from his focus and determination to lead the country to greatness. Now that is resilience.
8 Forward what they said...
THE MAN 9CONSOLIDATING DEMOCRACY
In the past, governors were illegally removed from office. Senate Presidents and Speakers were impeached or removed A VISIONARY IN with impunity. Court orders and judgments were disobeyed willingly. Contracts were 10EVERY SENSE terminated without recourse to the rule of law. All these happened even when When President Jonathan decided to Nigerians thought they had entered the establish 12 new universities some years era of democracy. Since Dr. Jonathan was ago, you would have concluded that he elected President of Nigeria, the country had committed a crime. His opponents has made tremendous progress in its came roaring in simulated disgust. democratisation agenda. He does not Some said he should just “improve” the interfere in the affairs of the National standards of the existing universities Assembly, even when it is clear that some and forget about establishing new ones. principal officers have been a tool in the That was acute short-sightedness. There hand of the opposition. While the chairmen are three major problems confronting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were university education in Nigeria today: one, being removed at will in the past, he has insufficient capacity to take new students; refused to toe that path, preferring that two, lack of enough funding; three, things take their natural course. It is not insufficient teaching capacity. President uncommon to hear people say: “If this “all indications are Jonathan is taking a holistic approach affront had happened under a different to the problems by increasing student president, EFCC would have arrested his that the opposition intake capacity (and freeing the streets of opponent by now...” He has also helped will fumble thousands of admission-seeking youths), to consolidate democracy through free doubling funding of universities and and fair elections. An opposition governor, abysmally if given improving the capacity of lecturers through Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state, re-training and further education. That is had this to say after his re-election in power. They are only foresight. The President has launched an 2012: “I am glad that Mr. President kept industrial revolution plan to turn Nigeria to to his words of assurance that there would fantastic at media a manufacturing hub in Africa. Nigeria will be no thuggery, hooliganism and violence soon starting exporting rice and producing during the Edo Governorship Election. He wars.” cars. That is vision. Only a proven visionary is indeed a statesman, a man of honour deserves our votes. President Jonathan is because there was adequate and effective the man for the job. presence of security agents on ground. I am impressed because the army actually played a neutral role in the election.”
Forward 9 what they said... Vital Statistics Travel Times on Nigerian Roads Corridor BEFORE JONATHAN UNDER JONATHAN Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Expressway 4 hours 2 hours Onitsha-Owerri Expressway 3 hours 1 hour Benin-Ore-Shagamu-Lagos Expressway 9 hours 4 hours Gombe-Numan-Yola Expressway 6 hours 3 hours Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja-Mfum Highway 8 hours 3 hours Lagos-Ibadan-Ilorin Highway 6 hours 3.5 hours Otukpa-Ayangba-Ajaokuta-Lokoja Rd 4 hours 1.5 hours Jebba-Lafiaji-Mokwa Road 2 hours 45mins
10 Forward what they said...
35,000km 4,500km
There are 35,000km of federal roads. There were 4,500km in motorable condition before President Goodluck Jonathan came to power.
25,000km
President Jonathan has constructed or rehabilitated 25,000km between 2010 and 2014.
Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road dualization
Forward 11 what they said...
Benin-Ore-Shagamu Expressway: rebuilt after decades of neglect
12 Forward what they said...
Forward 13 what they said...
LAGOS IBADAN EXPRESSWAY
14 Forward what they said...
Forward 15 what they said...
Kano-Maiduguri road Eastern Bypass
16 Forward what they said...
Forward 17 what they said...
Enugu-Abakaliki road
Abakaliki-Mbok (Ogoja Junction) road
18 Forward what they said...
Onitsha-Owerri dual Carriageway
Forward 19 loko-oweto bridge, benue-nasarawa states
20 Forward model of Murtala Muhammed International Airport Approach road, Lagos, to be constructed through Public Private Partnership
President Jonathan turning the sod for the $1bn Azura-Edo Independent Power Project, the first fully financed plant. It will deliver 450 megawatts of power when completed
Forward 21 Kashimbila Dam and Hydropower Station, Taraba State: capable of delivering 40megawatts, irrigation of 2000 hectares of land and 500million cubic metres of water
22 Forward Forward 23 what they said...
Jabi residential area, AbujA
24 Forward what they said...
Over 61,000 housing units have been built in six geopolitical zones to provide affordable and quality houses
Forward 25 Are you better off today than in 2011?
26 Forward what they said...
Let the facts and figures guide you
Forward 27 then and now
$510billion The rebased GDP of Nigeria in 2013, compared to $169bn in 2009. It is now Africa’s biggest economy N1.4trillion Food import bill before Jonathan became president. It is now less than N700bn
$1billion Seed money for the newly established Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) to save for future generations of Nigerians, fund infrastructural spending and stabilise the economy. The fund has grown to $1.4billion N13.23trillion Market value of stocks listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as at December 31, 2013. It was N9.92 trillion in 2009. All Share Index also moved from 25,000.00 points at the end of 2009 to 38,016.80 in 2013
28 Forward then and now
“The stronger the boat (of “The air of freedom we breathe today democracy), the more it is able to is the result of the sacrifices of meet the challenges of thousands of pro-democracy activists, its voyage and deliver on its human rights campaigners and others promise to citizens” who organised as civil society” – GEJ – GEJ
Forward 29 then and now
“My political ambition “No minister will be allowed to go is not worth the blood of on a mission of endless search for any Nigerian” solutions” – GEJ – GEJ
30 Forward then and now
50,000 Approximate number of ghost workers identified through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Over N139 billion has been saved through the system
$8billion Approximate value of foreign investment Nigeria attracted in 2013, making the country the No. 1 destination for foreign investment in Africa, after years of playing second fiddle.
1.5million Number of insurance policy holders, compared to less than 500,000 in 2009
$4billion Investments attracted to the agricultural sector as a result of reform 52 Years Life expectancy at birth, an improvement on the 47 years before Jonathan
Forward 31 then and now
400 Nigerian-owned crude oil transportation tankers, compared to less than 60 in 2009
75% Improvement in the domestic gas supply as a result of the emergency gas supply programme
1.1million metric tonnes Increase in rice production in Northern states in 2013 as a result of the Agricultural Transformation Programme
62% Nigeria’s literacy rate, up from 54% before Jonathan
32 Forward then and now
“In the comfort of our offices, “Where there is no opportunity for let us not forget that majority one man one vote, of our people live below the there will be no accountability poverty line” and no responsibility” – GEJ – GEJ
Forward 33 then and now
“We may not have overcome “I prefer to see the silver lining our challenges, but neither in the dark cloud rather than the have our challenges dark cloud in the silver lining” overcome us” – GEJ – GEJ
34 Forward then and now
130,000 barrels Volume of crude oil production per day by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation (NPDC), compared to zero before
400% increase in Silo capacity under President Jonathan
500 N60 billion Number of schools targeted Amount realised at the launch of Victims Support in Safe Schools Initiative in Fund for those affected by the Boko Haram Northern States insurgency in the North-East
7 Days How long it takes to clear trouble-free cargo, down from 39 days before. Number of agencies at the ports has been reduced from 13 to 7, streamlining bureaucratic and financial requirements for clearance and decongestion 5million Passengers carried by rail yearly compared to 1 million before Jonathan
Forward 35 then and now
15 years How long Lagos-Kano, Port Harcourt- Maiduguri and Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail lines were moribund before President Jonathan rehabilitated them N53billion Fresh investment in downstream oil sector, leading to additional 71 fuel depots in 2013
30 years The last time Nigeria’s airport infrastructure underwent any major make-over. All 22 federally- owned airports are being remodelled and renovated, resulting in improved passenger experience
1000 0 Girls and women Ebola infections in Nigeria, after a beneficiaries of Girls and successful management of the outbreak Women in Nigeria (GWiN caused by an infected Liberian traveller programme)
422m cubic metres Volume of water added to the country’s reservoir with the completion of dam projects in Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Enugu and Ondo States
36 Forward then and now
“Any society or country that “Terrorism has no conscience closes the vital valves of and spares no one” its democratic space cannot – GEJ develop at a reasonable pace” – GEJ
Forward 37 then and now
“Our votes must count! One “In presenting myself for service, man, one vote! One woman, I make no pretence that I have a magic one vote! One youth, one wand that will solve all of Nigeria’s vote!” problems or that I am the most – GEJ intelligent Nigerian” – GEJ
38 Forward then and now
6million Number of Nigerian farmers on the e-wallet platform who now receive subsidised farm inputs without middlemen, thereby checkmating decades of corruption in the system. Over N50 billion saved so far from the fraud
1.07million metric tones Increase in farm output following the introduction of dry season farming through irrigation in 10 northern states - Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Niger, Kogi and Bauchi in 2013
7million metric tones Paddy rice added to national production since 2011
$1.2billion Forex demand saved through local sufficiency in cement production
Forward 39 then and now
433,650 Number of lives saved under the “Saving One Million Lives” initiative from November 2012 to June 2013 through scaling up of six cost-effective interventions including Maternal & child health, nutrition, prevention of Mother to child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, Provision of Essential commodities, Malaria control, routine immunisation and eradication of polio
$15million Fund launched to support venture capital in the ICT sector, the first of its kind
0 New Type-3 wild polio virus recorded in Nigeria in the last one year - the first time ever
0 New guinea worm infection in Nigeria
40 Forward then and now
“I have come to launch a campaign of ideas, not one of calumny. I have come to preach love, not hate. I have come to break you away from divisive tendencies of the past which have slowed our drive to true nationhood. I have no enemies to fight. You are all my friends and we share a common destiny” – GEJ
Forward 41 then and now
“God is a God of diversity. God created a diverse world for His own purpose. What will the world look like if all of us were of the same height, colour, gender, nationality and ethnicity? I think it will be boring” – GEJ
“For the PDP family, “We are all Nigerians and I the contest for party will be a President to all. offices does not produce This is the new dawn we crave” winners and losers” – GEJ – GEJ
42 Forward then and now
125 Number of Almajiri boarding schools built by the Federal Government
$13 billion The MOU signed with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for construction of the 650km hi-speed coastal railway from Calabar all the way to Port Harcourt, Benin City and Lagos. The new line will have a single-track length of 13 years 1385km with trains running How long ago Nigeria had not won a medal at at up to 120km/h. The the World Athletics Championship until Blessing 22-station line will cross 10 of Okagbare won two at Moscow 2013 Nigeria’s 36 states. 7000 Federal Government has sponsored 7,000 lecturers of federal and state tertiary institutions for post- graduate studies home and abroad to improve the quality of instruction since 2011. This is unprecedented.
Forward 43 then and now
19 years How long it took the Super Eagles to win another Africa Cup of Nations, having last won it in 1994 Double Champions Nigeria is the firstA frican country to hold the football titles for men and women, after the Super Falcons won the 9th African Women Championship in Namibia, beating Cameroon 2-0 in the final.
6,720,000 Number of tree seedlings raised in seven front line states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Jigawa, Yobe, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Yobe, Sokoto and Borno States to combat desertification
44 Forward then and now
“Our founding fathers... did “We are not sworn enemies... not dream of a country where We are neighbours who neighbours and friends would sometimes offend each other exchange bullets but can always sit down to in place of handshakes” talk over our differences” – GEJ – GEJ
Forward 45 footprints
46 Forward footprints
Transformation at a Glance
Forward 47 Completed and Marked section of Abuja-Lokoja road
Economic Management
External Reserves have reached $42.9billion, one of Nigeria’s highest ever At 7% GDP Growth, Nigeria’s economy is one of the fastest growing in The Sovereign Wealth Fund has been the world established with three components: Stability Fund, infrastructure Fund and Future The UN Conference on Trade and Generation Fund. this will help protect the development has named Nigeria as the economy against future shocks and provide No. 1 destination for investments in for future generations of Nigerians Africa, attracting over $8bn in Foreign direct investment (FDI) Nigeria’s $1 billion Eurobond was oversubscribed - a sign of confidence in In 2013, 1.6 million jobs were the country’s economy created directly and indirectly as a result of Federal Government initiatives Nigeria’s budget deficit of1.85% to GDP is one of the lowest in the world Exchange Rate has stabilised between N155 and N160 in the last three years Recurrent Expenditure, a major budgetary headache for decades, is now Inflation Rate now 8% (December 2013), on the downward trend down from 12.4% in 2011. It is projected to be at single digit for another year
48 Forward Job Creation
The introduction of the Government Integrated Financial Management and Information System (GIFMIS) has Key government programmes focused on improved the acquisition, allocation, direct job creation include: utilisation and conservation of public 1) Community Service Scheme (SURE-P) financial resources, using automated To engage 320,000 youths in labour- and integrated, effective, efficient and intensive work such as construction economic information systems and rehabilitation of social and economic infrastructure About 120,000 employed so far Personnel costs are being reduced through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (ippis). Over 2) Graduate Internship Scheme (SURE-P) N139.6 billion has been saved and The Scheme aims to attach 50,000 50,000 ghost workers identified through graduates to competent firms to enhance skills ippis development towards employability 4,000 graduates have been matched so far With the Treasury Single Account (TSA) structure of government bank accounts, 3) YOUWIN! there is now a consolidated view of the • The Business Plan Competition has cash position; 93 Mdas are currently on successfully run two of its three cycles and is tsa and over government has gone from now in its third cycle an overdraft of N102 billion in 2011 to an 2400 winners have been selected and average credit balance of N86 billion 26,000 jobs have been directly created in in 2013 different sectors of the economy. at least 80,000 jobs are expected by 2015 NON-OIL EXPORTS CREDIT RATING
Imports of textiles, plastic & rubber, Nigeria’s Credit Ratings have improved paper & paper-making material have because of the strong economic dropped indices, thereby opening up international opportunities for Nigerian financial institutions and other companies Exports of plastic & rubber, vegetable products, prepared foodstuff and beverages are on the increase
Non-oil exports have increased to 31%, up from 8% five years ago
Forward 49 Murtala Muhammed Int'l airport, Lagos
FINANCIAL MARKETS
The banking sector has been Stock market capitalisation (value of listed well managed and cleaned up in the companies) has increased to N13.23 aftermath of the financial markets crisis trillion of 2008/2009
All 24 Nigerian banks are now fully stable and adequately capitalised Non-interest banking has been introduced to offer more options to Nigerians in their quest for banking services as well Non-Performing Loans have fallen to as accommodate cultural and religious about 5% differences in the credit system
The capital market also recovered significantly after a series of policy interventions
50 Forward OIL AND GAS
There has been stable supply of petroleum products as well as efficient administration of the subsidy programme at reduced costs
Mobilisation has begun for a new free trade zone in Ogidigben, Delta State, with world- class petrochemical and fertilizer plants to be built, creating over five million jobs across the value chain
Gas flaring has been reduced from 24% to 18% between 2011 and 2012 - as a result of the encouragement of accelerated gas development projects
The diligent implementation of the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta has helped to increase oil production from pre- amnesty level of 700,000 bpd to the current 2,500,000 bpd
Nigeria will soon become a major player in the international gas market through the implementation of the Nigerian Gas Master plan
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) programme is in full progress with 2000 cars already converted in Benin
Domestic gas supply to support the power sector has increased by 72% as part of the emergency gas supply programme
Government’s effort at encouraging indigenous participation in the oil and gas industry has produced an oil terminalling facility (Ebok terminal) established by an Insurance indigenous company, with a current daily crude oil production of 7,000 barrel per day and a plateau production of 50,000 bpd at full capacity
Nigerians now own crude oil Through the introduction of micro- transportation tankers, flying Nigerian insurance, compliance with compulsory flags. Nigerian- owned marine vessels insurance, more Nigerians are now have increased from 54 to 388, creating aware of insurance policies employment for over 30,000 Nigerians
Number of policy holders has also Onne Oil & Gas free trade zone has increased from 700,000 in 2010 to created 30,000 jobs directly and 1.5 million in 2012 indirectly The 136km gas pipeline from Oben to Geregu has been completed Claims paid increased from N37 billion in 2010 to N52 billion in 2012 The 31km Itoki to Olorunsogo gas pipeline has also been completed
Forward 51 INFRASTRUCTURE: INFRASTRUCTURE: PORTS RAIL
Rail lines that had been moribund for 15 years have either undergone or are still undergoing rehabilitation and modernisation: Lagos-Kano, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, Abuja-Kaduna and Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri
Passengers carried by rail were 4.2 Ports operating 24 hours for the million in 2012, compared to 1 million first time since 1970 three years earlier
Clearing time has reduced from 39 days Rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan- to 7 days for trouble-free cargo Oshogbo-Ilorin-Minna-Kaduna-Zaria- Kano narrow Gauge rail line has been completed The number of agencies at the ports has been reduced from 13 to 7, streamlining bureaucratic and financial requirements Container cargo freight services for clearance and decongestion from Apapa Port complex have commenced
52 Forward what they said... INFRASTRUCTURE: WATERWAYS
The Inland Waterways provide alternative means of transporting goods, agricultural produce and services at relatively low rates
Dredging of Lower River Niger from Baro (Niger state) to Warri (Delta state) has allowed all-year navigation
Onitsha Port has been completed, while Baro Port, Lokoja Port and Oguta Port are under construction
Volume of cargo transported in the inland waterways has doubled in the last two years
Number of passengers travelling by water was 1.3 million in 2012, compared to a mere 250,000 the previous year
Contracts are on course for the dredging of the Lower River Benue and Makurdi River Ports
To ease congestion at the ports, government has approved the establishment of six inland container depots INFRASTRUCTURE: AVIATION
For the first time ever, Nigeria has an aviation Master plan and road Map Rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt- Aba- Umuahia-Enugu-Makurdi-Lafia- Kuru- Bauchi-Gombe-Ashaka-Maiduguri There has been a robust revision of the with branch lines at Kuru to Jos and Civil aviation national policy for the first Kafanchan- Kaduna narrow gauge rail time in over . line is at various stages of completion 12 years
For the first time in over three decades, new locomotives have been 25 all airports supplied by General Electric, while 22 federally-owned across the country are being remodelled, over 200 coaches and wagons have been resulting in improved passenger experience refurbished
For the first time also, five modern General Electric has committed to international passenger terminals are being developing a locomotive assembly facility constructed simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja, in Nigeria to handle locomotives in 200 Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu the next 10 years
Forward 53 nnamdi azikiwe international airport, abuja
Obsolete power infrastructure is being replaced/upgraded across major Installation of an Accident Investigation airports in the country and analysis laboratory in nigeria. it is one of the only four in Africa and the only one in the West African sub-region Fire-fighting infrastructure now state-of- the-art across the airports Designation of six Hajj and six Christian pilgrim terminals Installation of cutting-edge navigational aids and instruments landing of NCAT’s training systems (ILS), including runway lights Upgrade capabilities, expanding beneficial and total radar coverage (TRACON), to relationships that support training enhance air safety and human capital development in the aviation sector Installation of modern, state-of-the- art communication and surveillance infrastructure, making communication Restructuring of Parastatals to between air traffic controllers (ATCS) and deliver best performance and services pilots much more seamless Restructuring of the Nigerian State-of-the-art Meteorological Civil Aviation authority (ncaa) to infrastructure (doppler Weather radars, expand and promote safety oversight, low-level Wind shear alerts systems- surveillance and human capital llWsas) to enhance accurate, timely development in the industry weather observation, forecasting and reporting Development of comprehensive economic and consumer protection infrastructure is also being Security regulations, including a statement of replaced/upgraded to cope with emerging passenger rights security challenges
54 Forward what they said...
More friendly operating environment for domestic carriers
New leasing company for Aircraft
Six airports, namely Jos, Makurdi, Yola, Jalingo, lagos and ilorin, which are strategically located in proximity to food baskets have been designated as perishable cargo airports and international standards perishable cargo facilities are being developed at these airports. a new cargo development division has been established in Faan to give focus to this effort
Streamlining of General Aviation (GA) to eliminate unauthorised commercial operations, promote scheduled airlines’ profitability andsafety
Elimination of unfavourable Concession and lease agreements that were inconsistent with the public interest, industry growth and advancement
Promotion of private sector and international investors’ participation in Nigerian aviation sector
Deployment of modern technology and digitisation of records and processes
Creation of cutting-edge revenue collection solutions which eliminate corruption, increase revenue and promotes transparency and efficiency
Stringent regime of enforcement, reward for complete compliance and denial of privileges for violations
Forward 55 Geregu Power Plants
INFRASTRUCTURE: Average hours of power availability in 10 major cities has increased from a low of less than nine hours in 2011 to around 15 POWER hours today
Licensing has been done to facilitate privatisation of 34 ipps
launched the President Jonathan Federal Government has entered into Nigerian power sector reform roadmap in an MoU with worldwide leaders in the 2010 to address the power supply deficit power sector, General Electric, to invest up to 15% equity in power projects in the country summing up to Unbundled PHCN companies (11 10,000mw capacity by the year 2020 distribution and 6 generation companies) have been successfully privatised and handed over to new owners GE also proposes to establish local packaging facility for small aero-derivative turbines in Nigeria The Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) has been established to drive private sector investment into the industry An MoU with similar commitment has by executing bankable power purchase also been signed with siemens, Germany. agreements with power developers siemens proposes to increase thermal generating capacity of up to 10,000mw by investing equity of per Independent The transmission of power has been 15% power project concessioned to upgrade and expand the national grid network
56 Forward The PoweWaterr Construction Corporation (PCC) of China has signed an MoU with the Federal Government to invest in the construction of 20,000mw gas power and 10,000km transmission line
New units at the thermal power stations have been completed to increase existing generation capacity. this was done in the following locations: Olorunshogo in Ogun State, 563MW; Sapele in Delta State, 225 MW; and Omotosho in Ondo state, 112.5MW
Xian Electric Engineering Co. Ltd has signed an Mou for the financing and turnkey delivery of nigerian transmission upgrading project to the tune of $1billion
Expansion of gas supply and infrastructure
New procurement for power from IPPs (Greenfield)
Commencement of the development of 2 x 1000mw coal-fired power plants at Enugu, Gombe, Kogi and Benue axis; and 27 small/medium hydropower projects
Siemens will also establish an in- Ground breaking ceremony for the country service workshop as well as fund 700MW Zungeru hydro plant in Niger the study of an integration of renewable State energy sources to conventional source Kick-off of the Access to Power The Federal Government has signed an Initiative (operation Electrify Nigeria) of MoU with Daewoo E &c of Korea the Federal Ministry of Power to invest up to 20% equity per project summing up to 10,000mw Lifeline tariff ofN4/kwh for those consuming below 50 kwh/month Eletrobras of Brazil also signed an MoU with the Federal Government to invest in both thermal and hydro generating Ongoing negotiation on Mambila sources as well as in the transmission hydroelectric power project award to network of Nigeria produce 3050MW of electricity
The Technical Monitoring Committee The Ex-Im Bank of the United States of has been constituted by Federal Ministry america signed an Mou with the Federal of Finance to coordinate African Government to provide an investment Development Bank’s support loan of window of up to $1.5billion for $185.2 million to the power sector investors willing to invest in the nigerian power sector. this is the first time such an amount will be made available by the US Two private sector-led, federal Exim Bank for a specific sector in Africa government- backed solar plants of 1000mw each under construction in Yobe and Kano States
Forward 57 Vom-Manchok Road, Plateau State
INFRASTRUCTURE: Onitsha-Owerri and Vom-Manchok roads ROADS have been completed Onitsha-Enugu road and Lokoja-Benin road are being reconstructed and expanded
A total of 2000 kilometres of road were Construction works have also commenced built or rehabilitated as at the end of on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway 2013 - the highest in a single year by any reconstruction and Expansion government
Second Niger Bridge project has Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Benin- Ore- been concessioned to Julius Berger/AIM Shagamu highway and Enugu- Port consortium. Early works have commenced Harcourt dual carriage are being reconstructed Work is progressing on the Reconstruction of Mokwa-Bide Kano-Maiduguri and Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Road, Akure-Ilesha Road, Sokoto- are undergoing dualisation Tambuwal-Jega road, Enugu- Abakaliki Road, Ogoja-Ikom Road and Vandekiya- Obudu Road, among others Oweto Bridge across River Benue is being constructed Commencement of sustained Preventive Road Maintenance programme along all critical Federal roads nationwide
58 Forward what they said...
Quick intervention/ communication call lines for public- Government interaction on conditions of Federal roads nationwide
Commencement of full-scale production of cold asphaltic concrete mix for all year round intervention on road failures all over the country
Systematic replacement of weak box culverts with short bridges and reinstatement of vandalised bridge handrails along critical highways
Provision of road support services to over 90 locations for accident victims (first aid) and police intervention on flash points nationwide
Commencement of the National Joint programme of action against road abuses and routine surveillance to prolong road pavement life span and protect road assets nationwide
Effective routine use of over40 mini asphalt plant for regular production and utilization of hot rolled asphalt for proactive road maintenance works
Ensuring sustained vegetation control along major Federal highways thus Recovery and sustained maintenance of improving intervisibility, checking the over 60% of Federal Roads total length heinous activities of hoodlums along highways and reducing the rate of accidents due to blind curves and overgrown weed Increased good and safe motorable length of Federal Roads from about 52% (17,742km) to over 83% (28,320km) Provision of street lightings along usually dark urban stretches of Federal Procurement and distribution of 38 state- highways and major bridges across the of-the-art Bergkamp FP5 Mobile Pothole country patchers for all-year round road repairs
Installation and commencement of asphaltic concrete production from two Major 80tph FErMa asphalt plants in 2012
Introduction of the FERMA-SURE P public works programme, engaging and training over 6,000 Nigerian youths on road maintenance works thereby creating a social safety net and road ownership attitude with abutting communities
Forward 59 what they said...
The Otobi-Otukpo Water Works, Benue
60 Forward what they said...
water resources
Seven water supply projects have been completed, providing about 4.3 million Nigerians access to potable water
Over 4,000 jobs were created in the process
As at 2012, 65.29% of the population had access to safe water, compared to 60% in 2011
Nine dams have been completed in Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Enugu and Ondo States to increase volume of nation’s water reservoir by 422mcm
Size of irrigated area has more than doubled from 90,000 hectares in 2010 to 175,000 hectares in 2012 and increased production of over 400,000 metric tonnes of irrigated food products
375,000 farmers had access to irrigated land in 2012, up from 236,000 in 2011
Progress has been made on major projects such as the south chad irrigation project, the Bakolori Irrigation Project and the Galma dam
Forward 61 what they said...
Rice Revolution: Soon Nigeria will become a net exporter of rice Credit: Shutterstock
62 Forward what they said...
Forward 63 President Goodluck Jonathan presses button to commission the Bagging Section of Olam Rice Farm Nigeria in Rukubi, Nasarawa State
AGRICULTURE Dry season production through irrigation kick-started in 10 northern states - Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Niger, Kogi and Bauchi - resulting in an output of 1.07 million Four decades of corruption in fertilizer metric tonnes and seed distribution ended with direct access by farmers, thereby saving the government N25 billion in 2012 Combined production of Dry Season and alone Main season paddy now 1.76 million metric tonnes - unprecedented in Nigeria’s history Over 250,000 farmers and youths in northern states now profitably engaged in farming Government policies have led to the establish- ment of 13 new rice mills by private investors First ever database of farmers has been developed with 6 million farmers registered and now being updated/ Nigeria is on the road to being self- monitored annually sufficient in rice production
Nigeria is first African country to Production has expanded for high develop e-wallet for input delivery to quality cassava flour to substitute farmers, eliminating sharp practices by imported wheat in the baking industry middlemen There is further boost for non-oil export Private sector seed and fertilizer as China has ordered 3.2 million companies now sell directly to farmers. metric tonnes of dried cassava chips for over N15 billion of fertilizers and ethanol production N1.5 billion of seeds were sold directly via e-wallet system
64 Forward what they said... housing
Nigeria’s food import bill reduced from Over 61,000 housing units have been N1.1 trillion in 2011 to N648 billion built in six geopolitical zones to provide in 2012, placing the country firmly on the affordable and quality houses path to food self-sufficiency
The Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Over 8 million metric tonnes of food were company (nMrc), a ppp arrangement, has added to domestic supply in 2012, about been set up to enable up to 200,000 70% above projection affordable mortgages within five years
The government recently launched a self- World Bank has agreed to support Federal employment initiative under the Youth Government with investment of up to Employment in Agriculture Programme $300 million zero-interest, 40-year (YEAP) called the Nagropreneur loan, 10 years grace and 0.7% commitment programme. this scheme, designed to charge - to lower costs, particularly encourage youth to go into commercial lending rates agriculture as entrepreneurs, plans to develop over 750,000 young Nagropreneurs by 2015
The Federal Government launched MANUFACTURING staple crop processing Zones to support investments in the entire agricultural value chain. At present, there are significant private investment commitments from agribusiness ventures such as: Flour Mills of Nigeria, the With the large domestic market, the dangote Group, syngenta, Indorama, policy is geared towards encouraging AGCO, and Belstar Capital import substitution where Nigeria has a comparative advantage, and exports, wherewe can be competitive In 2012, metric tonnes of 2.2 million internationally cassava chips were exported, exceeding the target by over 100% while the 40% substitution of cassava for wheat has Federal Government has devel- been achieved through research and oped the National Industrial Revolution collaboration with the iita and Federal Plan (NIRP) on the entire value chain institute for industrial research of sub-sectors such agro-processing (e.g. rice milling, sugar procession, cassava for wheat flour and other products, etc., There was a decline in wheat imports to consumer goods manufacturing, cement, Nigeria from an all-time high of 4,051,000 textiles, and petrochemicals) Mt in 2010 to 3,700,000MT in 2012
It has also developed the Sugar Master President Jonathan has launched the Plan (NSMS) to provide roadmap for Dry season Farm support programme to 100% local production of sugar Nigeria encourage dry season farming with n14bn, is now a net exporter of cement. representing an increase of 56% over the 2013 season. Over 600,000 farmers registered, representing an increase of 125% over 2013 Nigeria has moved from producing 2 million metrictonnes of cement in 2002 to a capacity of 28.5 million metric tonnes President Jonathan has launched the today National Schools Agriculture Programme (NSAP) aimed at developing a new generation of Nigerian youth agriculture With no permit issued in 2012 for cement enthusiasts from secondary schools. This will importation, savings of over N200 dissuade those who think farming is for old billionwere made people and for subsistence living only
Forward 65 MANUFACTURING ICT
Government currently delivers more than The Onne Oil and Gas Free zone has 50 services online, including been transformed with $6 billion invested passport and driving licence application leading to the attraction of 150 companies process compared to 30 at the end of 2012 into thezone with 30,000 jobs created to date 250 websites hosted on “.gov.ng” platform and 420 MDAs connected Foreign investments in manufacturing have been on the rise e.g. Indorama’s $1.2 billion fertilizer plant at Onne, Procter & Nigerian e-commerce companies are some Gamble’s $250 million consumer goods of the fastest growing companies in plant in Ogun State, SAB Miller’s $100 the world million brewery at Onitsha
Two IT Development Entrepreneur Nigeria has negotiated a strong Common Accelerators (iDEA hubs) have been External Tariff (CET) agreement with our launched in Yaba, Lagos and Tinapa, ECOWAS partners which would enable us Cross River State to protect our strategic industries where necessary 27 Federal Universities connected via 10GBps meshed trunk circuits, to form the Nigerian Research & Education Network (Ng REN) with connectivity to other international research networks
National Broadband Plan approved in May 2013
NigComSat-1R satellite was launched to provide more options for distributed access and rural connectivity
The IT transformation has also led to online shopping in Nigeria, previously unheard of. Value of online shopping grew 25% to N62.4 billion in 2011 from ICT N49.9 billion in 2010 Nigeria has developed locally produced tablets, equivalent to the iPad Government policies have helped the telecoms sector to grow exponentially Construction of 500km of fibre-optic cable to rural areas, with 3,000km more The ICT sector is the fastest growing targeted for deployment in 2013/2014 sector in the country
A total of 266 Public Access Venues The telecommunications industry were established in 2013: 156 Rural IT currently contributes 8.53% to the Centres, 110 Community Communication GDP, compared to 0.62% in 2001 Centres
Mobile phone/voice penetration has increased to 85.25% of the population, compared to 0.73% in 2001
There are over 50 million mobile internet subscriptions in Nigeria
66 Forward what they said...
HEALTH
Facilitation of the deployment of mobile communications base stations in rural areas of Nigeria. A total of 59 Base There has been an improved access to Stations have been installed thus far, with primary healthcare an additional 1,000 planned for 2014
Under the “Saving One Million Lives” Provision of wholesale internet initiative, over 433,650 lives were saved bandwidth to Internet Service from November 2012 to June 2013 by Providers, Cybercafes, and ICT centres scaling up six cost-effective interventions like Community Communication including Maternal & Child Health, Centres (CCC) in rural communities – Nutrition, Prevention of Mother to Child connectivity to 12 out of 18 pilot sites Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, Provision completed of Essential Commodities, Malaria Control, Routine Immunisation/ Eradication of Polio Provision of computing facilities to 74 tertiary institutions and 218 public schools across the country 1500 primary healthcare facilities have been refurbished and supplied with essential drugs Establishment of innovation centres to support entrepreneurs in the ICT sector and a Venture Capital fund of $15 million for ICT businesses
Forward 67 Several teaching hospitals and medical centres have been rehabilitated and Health insurance coverage increased from modernised e.g. OAU and UNIBEN 6% in 2011 to 8% in 2013 teaching hospitals
The National Immunisation Coverage Establishment of the Nigeria increased from 38% in 2012 to 82% in Centre for Disease Control (NDCD) 2013
Maternal mortality has dropped by more Under-5 mortality is down to 94/1000 than 50% in Midwives Service Scheme live births from 157/1000 live births (MSS) facilities from 2009 to 2012
Maternal Mortality ratio has MOU has been signed with General reduced from 545/100,000 in 2008 to Electric (GE) for the establishment of 350/100,000 livebirths in 2012 private world class specialist hospitals and diagnostic centres under PPP arrangement Total elimination of malaria is the next target of the government
Overseas component of the Residency Training Programme to build the capacity Guinea worm disease, which previously of health professionals with 60 doctors affected over 800,000 lives yearly, has benefiting been eradicated from Nigeria
Open heart surgeries have resumed at the Introduction, for the first time in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, the history of Nigeria, a curriculum for Enugu since March, 2013 and over the training of paramedics 25 patients have so far been operated successfully. This was followed by the resumption of open heart surgery at the In 2013, government recruited 11,300 University College Hospital Ibadan in frontline health workers who were October, 2013 deployed to under-served communities across the country
The country has reduced the prevalence of malaria in children Over 400,000 lives have been saved through various interventions
Capacity for kidney transplant has been strengthened within the last one For the first time in the history of the year with Lagos University Teaching country, there has not been any Hospital and University of Ilorin transmission of the Type-3 Wild Teaching Hospital joining the league Polio virus for more than one year
Since the launch of the Community- Based Health Insurance Scheme, the scheme has been fully established in a number of communities in 12 states, thereby granting medical access to poor Nigerians
68 Forward what they said...
Pupils at the Bring Back the Book event in Lagos
EDUCATION High Impact Fund to support higher institutions of learning has been established to become Centres of Excellence in specific areas. Each selected University gets N3 billion; Polytechnics and Colleges of Education N1 billion
In order to reduce the 10.5 million A total of Presidential Special out of school children in the country, 101 Scholarships for Innovation and a number of special intervention Development (PRESSID) have been programmes such as the Almajiri awarded to beneficiaries for training in Education, the Girl-Child Education and top 25 universities in the world Back-to-School were initiated
As a result of these interventions, In , special girl schools are 13 states enrolment in basic schools increased being constructed while in 27 states, from 23 million in 2010 to million in day and boarding schools are being 29 125 2012. This will further increase with the constructed under the Almajiri education handing over of Almajiri Schools to state programme governments
new universities (9 in the North, 3 in 12 Over Innovation Enterprise the South) have been established to 100 Institutions have been licensed to provide enhance access to a Federal University alternative access to higher education across the country and absorb thousands through technical and vocational of students who are denied university education and training admission every year
Forward 69 EDUCATION
The number of National Certificate of Education (NCE) awarding institutions has increased from 96 to 124 since 2011
To improve the quality of instruction, Federal Government has sponsored 7,000 lecturers of federal and state tertiary institutions for post-graduate studies home and abroad
Student enrolment in the Colleges of Education has increased from 620,000 in 2011 to 750,000 in 2013 – a 20% increase YouWiN! The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is expanding its capacities to increase enrolment to 250,000 annually Government has introduced the Female Teacher Trainee Scholarship Scheme to give opportunities to women from Laboratories in the 51 Federal and State marginalised, remote, rural areas to Polytechnics have been rehabilitated with acquire skills and knowledge and train as state-of-the-art equipment teachers
In 2013, Federal Government The Youth Enterprise with Innovation rehabilitated 352 laboratories and in Nigeria (YouWiN!) Programme has constructed 72 new libraries in the trained 12,000 aspiring or existing Federal Unity Schools young entrepreneurs
Micro-teaching laboratories are being YouWiN! is presently funding 1,200 constructed in 58 Federal and State entrepreneurs identified in the first round Colleges of Education across the of the three round competition Federation It has dentified1,200 women in May Between 2007 and 2013, Federal 2013 across the six geopolitical zones to Government has almost tripled the receive funding in the second round allocation for education from N224 billion to N634 billion As at March 2013, a total of 12,108 jobs had been created across the country in 62% Nigeria’s literacy rate, up from 54% the early stages of the first round. At least before Jonathan 80,000 jobs are expected by the end of the third round in 2015
70 Forward what they said...
ARMED The Nigerian Army Language Institute, conceived to make Army personnel FORCES bi-lingual within two years, has been established Development of a National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) Nigerian Army has built the first locally made Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) Capacity, equipment and logistics have been overhauled for counter- terrorism and counter insurgency The first made-in-Nigeriawarship has come on board
Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Centre has been set up The first made-in-Nigeria unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or “drone”) named GULMA was built by the Nigerian Department of Civil Military Affairs, Air Force Army Transformation and Innovation Centre and the Directorate of Campaign Planning have been established at There have been successful test flights the Army Headquarters of other UAVs named AMEBO II and AMEBO III and commencement of the design of AMEBO IV New formations and units have been set up to enhance operational capability Installation of ground stations for real-time streaming of aerial surveillance Compo Ration Manufacturing Factory has pictures and videos been established
Forward 71 72 Forward Forward 73 74 Forward Forward 75 what they said...
76 Forward what they said...
the best of nollywood on a visit to president jonathan
Forward 77 what they said...
A Dozen Famous Lies
78 Forward what they said...
A Dozen Famous Lies
A lot of lies and half-truths have been peddled against President Goodluck Jonathan for years. No matter the rebuttals and clarifications, people will still believe whatever they want to believe. That is essentially human nature, especially in a vicious political environment like ours. GEORGE KERLEY lists these allegations and provides the necessary answers for the benefit of those who are fair- minded enough to know that there is always more than one side to a story
Forward 79 what they said...
The Farce President Jonathan has violated the law by refusing to declare his assets as required by the Constitution.
The Fact
President Jonathan has always duly declared his assets as required by the laws of the land, right from the time he was Deputy Governor in Bayelsa State. However, as Vice-President in 2007, when he was asked to make public what he declared, he initially refused, insisting that he had fully complied with the laws which did not mandate him to make his assets public. After much pressure, especially when his boss, President Yar’Adua, made public his own declaration, Jonathan followed suit, even though he still maintained that it was not necessary. In 2012, the issue came up again and he said clearly that he would not make his assets public because the law did not require it. This stance has been fully twisted and politicised, with some critics falsely claiming he refused to declare his assets. In fact, he declared his assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by the Constitution – and not on the pages of newspapers. The claim that declaring assets publicly would enhance transparency is nothing but a hype. Many public officers rushed to declare their assets on the pages of newspapers in 2007 and we cannot claim transparency is now the guiding principle all over Nigeria today.
80 Forward what they said...
The Farce The wife of President Jonathan was investigated and indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for money laundering.
The Fact
This is one of the most oft-repeated lies about the First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan. It has been so repeated it is almost becoming the truth. But because truth is constant, the allegation remains a lie. The purported probe and indictment of Mrs Jonathan was said to have happened in 2006 when Malam Nuhu Ribadu was the chairman of EFCC. However, in a report published by an opposition newspaper, The Nation, on September 16, 2010, Ribadu categorically said: “I never handled a case against Patience Jonathan, never; it’s a lie. You know it is so sad because in our country this is how we go about maligning people. But today thank God I am not in his government. So, I can open up and talk. If I were to say it earlier people would have thought that I was looking for job from President Goodluck Jonathan. I am not looking for anything. But the truth must be told.” It is one of the oldest surviving lies against the president and his family..
Forward 81 what they said...
The Farce President Jonathan has been frittering away the foreign reserves and excess crude savings left behind by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Former Education Minister, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, specifically accused President Jonathan of squandering $67 billion in reserves.
The Fact
This is clearly one of the biggest storms in a teacup lapped up by the unsuspecting public. To start with, the foreign reserves as at May 2007 were $45bn out of which $22bn was excess crude savings. Ezekwesili’s figure of $67bn was an exaggeration for public effect. By December 2008, the government of President Yar’Adua had driven the reserves up to $53bn. In 2009, there was a fall in crude oil prices. At a stage, oil sold for as low as $40 per barrel. This affected the revenue of the federation badly. At this stage, withdrawals were made from the excess crude account to prevent a fiscal crisis which would have crippled the economy.A ll the withdrawals were announced publicly. The Federal Government, the 36 states and 774 councils ALL shared from the excess crude account. Ezekwesili deliberately lied when she gave the impression that “Federal Government squandered” the money, knowing full well that the money was shared by all the tiers of government. It is public knowledge that the governors went to court seeking a declaration that the excess crude account is illegal. The president does not have any absolute power over it. In the heat of the global financial crisis which affected the Nigerian economy badly, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had to draw down on the external reserves to stabilise the value of the Naira. If not, the Naira would probably be exchanging for over N200 to a dollar today. Also, to address the power crisis in the country, the National Economic Council, made up of all governors and chaired by the vice-president, agreed that the sum of $4.6bn be withdrawn from the excess crude account to finance the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), Niger Delta Power Projects, and Mambilla Power Projects. This was widely reported in the media. This cannot be classified as squandering, except we have become so cynical that any expenditure at all – including paying salaries – amounts to squandering. Meanwhile, the foreign reserves are being rebuilt again as the economy stabilises and oil prices go up. 82 Forward what they said...
The Farce President Jonathan engineered the removal of Justice Isa Ayo Salami as President of the Court of Appeal for political reasons, to give his party, PDP, an advantage in election petitions.
The Fact
Justice Salami, former President of the Court of Appeal, was suspended and recommended for retirement by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for allegedly lying against the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu. President Jonathan, as empowered the constitution, acted swiftly by appointing an acting President of the Court of Appeal pending the resolution of the cases in court, including the one instituted by Justice Salami himself. Curiously, the NJC, under the leadership of a new CJN Justice Dahiru Musdapher, asked that Justice Salami be reinstated, despite the cases in court. As usual, President Jonathan came under attack from Salami’s supporters in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for not instantly reinstating him. Rule of law, in this instance, did not seem to matter to them. The ACN campaign of blackmail is understandable – Justice Salami played a major role in the judicial victories of the party in Ekiti and Osun States. He constituted one panel and sat on the other. However, as at the time the Salami saga broke, the Constitution had been amended by the National Assembly giving the Supreme Court the final jurisdiction in governorship elections. It therefore did not make sense for President Jonathan to go after Salami as he was no longer in a position to influence judicial victories for theACN .
Forward 83 The Farce President Jonathan created Boko Haram in 2011 after winning the presidential election in order to destabilise the North and put his political opponents in bad light.
The Fact
This is not a very popular lie. It is not even believed in most parts of Northern Nigeria. It is a universal fact that religious war has been a very big problem in the North for centuries, long before Jonathan was born. Boko Haram had been in existence before Jonathan became Vice- President in 2007, much less when he became President in 2011. It is true that the terrorist activities were stepped up before and after the 2011 general election, but we are also aware that some people threatened to make the country ungovernable if their candidate did not win the presidential election. The belief that President Jonathan would want to preside over an unstable and violent country is illogical, given the fact that he won elections in 23 states across the length and breadth of Nigeria. He scored 25% or more in 32 states.
84 Forward The Farce President Jonathan said he would not grant amnesty to Boko Haram militants because they are “ghosts”.
The Fact This is a case of listening to half the message. President Jonathan said consistently that he was ready to dialogue with the group if their leaders would come forward. This is exactly what he said at the town hall meeting in Damaturu, Yobe state, on March 7, 2013: “We cannot declare amnesty for Boko Haram because we cannot declare amnesty for ghosts. you cannot liken Boko Haram to what happened in the niger delta. Some of these names you hear, Asari Dokubo, Ateke Tom, when I was a deputy governor, I went to a meeting with President Olusegun Obasanjo and I saw Asari and Tom in the presidential Villa. That was the first time i saw them; I had never seen them before, I did not even know them and I was the deputy governor of Bayelsa state, one of their hotbeds. It was in the Villa that i met them first during a meeting with the President.” He added: “What I am saying is that in the Niger Delta case, if you call them, they will come and tell you their grievances, rightly or wrongly. They will be there to tell you, ‘this is what we want, this is why we are doing this.’ But in the case of the Boko Haram, you don’t see anybody who will say he is a Boko Haram member, so we cannot declare amnesty. For us to declare amnesty, we must be communicating with people. We cannot declare amnesty for people that are operating under a veil. We can’t even discuss amnesty issue, let them come and tell us their problems and let’s see how we can solve the problem.” President Jonathan later set up a committee to explore the possibility of granting amnesty to any member of the sect who was ready to come forward and renounce violence. Anyone who comes forward can no longer be referred to as a ghost. Jonathan’s words were deliberately twisted, apparently.
Forward 85 The Farce The beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy scam financed President Jonathan’s campaign in 2011
The Fact
It was President Jonathan who decided that deregulation was overdue, partly to check the massive fraud in the subsidy system. If indeed he was the major beneficiary of the fraud (which was said to have been used to fund his presidential campaign), why would he take the lead in seeking to abolish the subsidy regime? In every rational mind, Jonathan should be working against the deregulation of the sector, preferring the payments of trillions of naira in subsidy so that he could continue to “benefit”. In any case, anybody can claim to be funding presidential campaign to boost their ego and peddle influence. It is a common problem. It does not mean it is true.
86 Forward what they said...
The Farce $20 billion oil money is missing or unaccounted for. This allegation was made by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The Fact As urban legends go, this is one of the most sensational but false allegations ever made in Nigeria’s history. It was also well promoted by the opposition to gain full political mileage, but this should not be surprising since they, clearly ,were the ones behind the cooked-up allegation in the first place.T he aim was to tarnish the image of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan locally and internationally ahead of the 2015 elections. What a devious game plan! However, the allegation was never going to be true from the beginning. Sanusi’s initial allegation was that $49.8 billion was missing. A few days after making the claim, Sanusi reduced the figure to $12 billion and apologised. Not long after that, he increased it again to $20 billion. This should, ordinarily, put a question mark on the entire allegation, but for those who were out to make political capital out of it, any figure would do. The word in town became “$20 billion is missing”. The senate investigated the allegation and came up with its findings: no money is missing.T he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) explained how every cent and every kobo was spent!
Forward 87 The Farce It was sensationally reported that the president and the vice-president had budgeted N1 billion for food for 2012. This prompted some comical and cynical reactions from the public. This was so often repeated that nobody even bothered to check the facts.
The Fact
Even though N1 billion (or N992 million, which was the actual figure) was budgeted for food, it was not for the president, vice-president and their families. The budget was for Presidency, which included all the agencies reporting to it. There are over 40 agencies under Presidency. Also, the budget covers members of the Brigade of Guard who are fed thrice a day. Out of nothing but mischief, it was reported that the budget was for the president and his wife. This became a hit on the social media and people freely commented on what was purely a fictive invention.
88 Forward what they said...
The Farce It was alleged that NYSC members were killed in Bauchi during the 2011 presidential election because they rigged for the PDP. The spokesman of CPC, Rotimi Fashakin, revealed to premiumtimesng.com in December 2012 that “some so called (NYSC) members were murdered, but in actual fact some of these people are IT consultants” to PDP. He said his party traced one the victims through his facebook page and found out that “he graduated from UNN in 2006 where he studied computer science and is also a manager at a computer firm in Lagos”.
The Fact
In the presidential election in Bauchi State, C.P.C. scored 1,315,209 votes while P.D.P. got 258,404 votes. If the murdered youths were indeed working for PDP, they did a poor job! They surely didn’t deserve to be killed by the agents of violence and bloodshed!
Forward 89 The Farce President Jonathan won the 2011 presidential election through rigging.
The Fact
The question is: who then won the election? Jonathan polled 22,496,157 votes; Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) 12,214,529; Malam Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) 917,365; and Malam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) 2,088,791. Jonathan polled 59.64 per cent of the votes cast; Buhari (CPC) 32.38 per cent; Ribadu (ACN) 5.54; and Shekarau (ANPP) 2.43 per cent. Jonathan won in 23 states, including 16 out of the 17 Southern states and seven Northern states — Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa and Taraba – and FCT. He also scored 25 per cent or more in 32 states and FCT, surpassing the constitutional requirement of at least a quarter of the votes cast in at least 24 states. It was only in Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Yobe that Jonathan did not meet the 25 per cent requirement. Buhari won in 12 states — all in the North. However, he scored less than 25 per cent in 22 states, including all Southern states and four Northern states – Kogi, Kwara, Benue and Plateau. Ribadu won in only one state, Osun, while that of the ANPP, Shekarau, did not win in any state. In fact, Shekarau did not meet the 25 per cent requirement in any state. Back to the question: who then won the 2011 election?
90 Forward what they said...
The Farce In 2011, President Jonathan promised to do only one term if given the PDP ticket.
The Fact
This wild report has managed to make its way into the media and assumed the toga of a fact. Some politicians have gone to the extent of saying President Jonathan even signed an agreement. However, not a single jot of evidence has been produced, either audio, video or any written document. While it is true that President Jonathan canvassed a single term in 2011, he wanted a maximum tenure of six years for elected governors and the president so that they can concentrate on the urgent tasks at hand. This proposal was opposed and was never discussed by the lawmakers.
*Adapted from the writer’s book, JONATHAN AND CRITICS: THE FACTS, THE FICTIONS AND MATTERS ARISING
Forward 91 FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS! TAKE A LOOK...
The 2011 General Elections conducted under President Goodluck Jonathan were adjudged the freest and fairest in Nigeria since 1999. “Nigeria had conducted its most successful and credible elections since its return to multiparty democracy in 1999. Despite obvious imperfections, these elections have given the country a solid foundation for strengthening its democratic institutions in the years ahead.” – Johnny Carson, Unites States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, April 9th at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.
By 1999, Nigeria’s railway system had practically collapsed – with the major lines: Lagos–Kano and As at 2011, Nigeria was a net importer of cement with Port Harcourt – Maiduguri completely dead. Today, local production at 12 million metric tonnes; today, the trains are back on track and new rail lines are we are producing 25.9 million metric tonnes and have being constructed. become a net exporter of cement! “I wish to remind you that the Federal Government, under “There is a clear evidence of the positive impact of the sector based the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, is poised on incentives. Incentives and concessions given to the cement industry repositioning the nation’s rail transport industry in the conviction have contributed to the phenomenal increase in national cement that the national economy will ultimately witness sustainable production from less than 2 million tons in 2002 to over 20 million growth if the Railway is strategically sustained as infrastructural tons in 2013. As a result, from being a net importer, Nigeria has pillar of the economy” become a net exporter of cement. This was achieved in less than a – Alhaji Kawu Baraje, APC Chieftain and Former NRC decade. Thanks to the enabling environment fostered by government Railway Chairman at the flag-off of the third passenger train service policies.” on the Lagos-Kano-Lagos route August 2013. – Statement read by Chief Kola Jamodu, President Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. ThisDay January 28th 2014. 92 Forward As at 2009, we were producing about 70,000 metric tonnes of wheat; today we are producing over 150,000 FACTS ARE metric tonnes.
STUBBORN THINGS! The age-long chronic corruption in the procurement and distribution of fertilisers to our farmers has been completely cleared with the introduction of the electronic wallet system. “If Nigeria keeps on this way, it will become Africa’s leader in As at 2009, our airport terminals were an eyesore and agriculture…”This has a huge potential to transform Nigeria’s economy and diversify it away from oil and gas.” a national disgrace, but today, virtually all of them – The Vice President of the US-Exim Bank, Wanda Felton at have been remodelled and modernized. the Agric Business Summit. Vanguard April 16th 2012. “CBN supports public officers that are doing something.T here is no one that can go to Kano airport or Kaduna airport or Benin airport or Abuja airport and tell you that something is not happening.” – Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on March 15th 2013 at the commissioning of the remodelled International terminal of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport A comprehensive redraft of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has been completed by the Executive and As at 2009, we were producing under 5 million is currently within the purview of the National metric tonnes of rice but today we are producing Assembly. When passed into law, it shall be the first well over 9 million tonnes, making Nigeria 80 to of its kind in Nigeria in terms of its coverage and 85% self-sufficient in paddy rice production. sweeping reforms. “Directors welcomed reforms underway in the energy sector, and looked forward to an early passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.” – The IMF in a Public Information Notice, PIN, “The PIB is necessary for the advancement of indigenous companies in the oil and gas industry as it seeks to improve the general As at 2009, Nigerians were only minor players in the Oil and efficiency of the sector as well as boost local content participation in Gas industry; today, with the Nigerian Content Law, there has the industry.” been an increase in the level of indigenous asset ownership – Wale Tinubu, Managing Director, Oando Pls, and the utilization of Nigerian owned assets such as marine ThisDay 10th August 2011 vessels and rigs in supporting the Oil and Gas industry operations. This success in the Nigerian Content Law is best exemplified with the listing of the Seplat Petroleum Development Company on the Nigeria and London Stock Exchanges, the first Nigerian indigenous company to do so. “One of the biggest achievements in this democratic experience is in the area of local content. Four years ago, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the bill into law and the story has changed positively” – Simon Kolawole, ThisDay 27th April 2014. Forward 93 what they said... FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS! TAKE A LOOK...
The Federal Government under President Jonathan has concluded a historic privatization of the nation’s power sector – a process that received Sanusi Lamido Sanusi made the sensational claim worldwide acclaim from all major players for being that the country lost USD$49.8 billion in 2011, a fair, free, transparent and conforming in particular figure which exceeded our annual national budget to global best practices. for that year; he changed the figure to USD12 billion, and then to USD20 billion! It is important Carlos Pascual, United States special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs for example gave the to note that, the Honourable Minister of Petroleum commendation describing the exercise as unprecedented. Pascual Resources directed that an audit be carried out in said that there are few countries in the world where such a wholesale exercise was carried out to completion. NNPC long before any of these claims were made. – Nigeria Investment Summit, New York, July 29, 2013. Following due process via BPP, PWC were invited to carry out an internal audit in September 2013. Subsequently, President Jonathan has ordered a forensic audit of the accounts to ascertain the ECOWAS veracity or otherwise of these claims.
President Jonathan as ECOWAS Chair & Co-Mediator stood courageously and firmly with other ECOWAS Heads of State to resolve the crises in Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Guinea Bissau. None of the Heads of State who have worked with President Jonathan will Twenty five years of false start and lost characterize him as weak, incompetent or unfocused opportunities, the Super Eagles won the African Cup when it comes to taking hard decisions. of Nations for the third time in 2013 under President “Vice President Biden thanked Vice President Sambo for Nigeria’s Jonathan. Our Under-17 Team also won gold in the important role on the continent, and its exemplary leadership during the unrest in Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and elsewhere.” FIFA U-17 World Cup and in the World Athletics – Excerpt taken from the Readout of Vice President’S Biden’s Championship, we won two medals. We shall continue meeting with Vice President Sambo of Nigeria. to win. We are now set for the World Cup in Brazil www.whitehouse.gov April 11, 2012.
94 Forward what they said...
GDP
Economically, GDP growth under President Jonathan has averaged 6.7%, which is significantly higher than most countries President Jonathan had the courage to convoke a across the globe; the recent National Conference aimed at repositioning Nigeria rebasing of the Nigerian economy for robust economic growth and political stability. puts our GDP at USD510 billion – it was a success and the outcome refreshingly the largest in Africa; and Foreign different, awaiting implementation. Direct Investment has been an average of USD7 Billion annually.
Our country suffered a devastating flood in 2012 – the As at 2011, virtually all Federal Government worst recorded in the nation’s roads across the country were in a state of history however through disrepair. The Federal Government embarked on immediate intervention and a massive reconstruction in which a majority of good management there was no these roads are now fully reconstructed and are resulting famine. in use by majority of road users across Nigeria such as the Benin-Ore Road and the Abuja Airport Road Extension.
Nigeria used to be defined by long and constant queues for petroleum products with scarcity seemingly the order of the day; in the last few years, The government of President Jonathan began the this has become a rarity. implementation of the greatest environmental intervention management programme – the Great Green Wall project. The project, which seeks to boldly address desertification and halt the spread of the degradation associated with it, was first discussed by regional leaders in 2004 and launched in Abuja in 2006. Unfortunately, the project suffered neglect until President Jonathan’s government commenced its implementation. As at 2014, a total sum of 16billion naira has been spent towards the project’s realisation.
Forward 95 “Africa must turn its begging bowls into baskets of prosperity and opportunity”–GEJ “Nigeria is a nation of resilient people. We will never yield to the forces of darkness. Nigeria will never, ever, disintegrate”–GEJ
“In my early days in school, I had no shoes, no school bags. I carried my books in my hands but never despaired; no car to take me to school but I never despaired. There were days I had only one meal but I never despaired. I walked miles and crossed rivers to school every day but I never despaired. Didn’t have power, didn’t have generators, studied with lanterns but I never despaired. In spite of these, I finished secondary school, attended the University of Port Harcourt, and now hold a doctorate degree” –GEJ in his own words
96 Forward Forward 97 in his own words...
“We are gradually reducing the footprints of government in business activities through privatisation, liberalisation and deregulation based on our recognition that the private sector should be the engine of growth in our economy” –GEJ
“Nigerians are peace-loving people; these sad events perpetrated by those who do not wish our nation well have not changed the essential character of our people” –GEJ “No matter what it takes, we will win this war against terror” –GEJ “Our first responsibility as citizens is to use the ballot”–GEJ “Those who dismissed the National Conference as a “diversion” have been proved wrong as what you achieved has contrary to their forecast diverted our country only from the wrong road to the right direction.” –GEJ
98 Forward Forward 99 in his own words...
“As we strive to advance our democratic development, there will be times when our will shall be tested, our patience provoked and our belief questioned” –GEJ
“We must develop a democratic culture in which the will of the people will be treated as sacred and be immune to subversion by anti-democratic elements” –GEJ “The dark patches in the Niger Delta will give way to light”–GEJ “Africa must declare an end to the era of self-inflicted wars and conflicts” –GEJ
“For those who take pleasure in seeing innocent human beings in pains, to see limbs being shattered and blood flowing in all direction after terror attacks, we say, you shall have no hiding place. Nigerians will expose you.” –GEJ
100 Forward what they said...
Forward 101 in his own words...
“I was not born rich, and in my youth, I never “Being a Nigerian imagined that I would be where I am today, but is a blessing not once did I ever give up” –GEJ [and] a great responsibility”–GEJ “I want to assure Nigerians that crude oil is not our ‘Black Gold’. The real ‘Black Gold’ of Nigeria are her people and they can grow in value from gold to diamond via education”–GEJ “Our unity is firm, our purpose strong, our determination unshakable”–GEJ “Separation of power is not separation of government”–GEJ
“In our efforts to rescue our daughters, we have had to battle with the dilemma of demonstrating military might and endangering their lives or undermining the sovereignty of Nigeria by succumbing to the blackmail of the terrorists on their own terms. Let me restate that we will not give in or give up to terrorists.” –GEJ
102 Forward what they said...
Forward 103 in his own words...
“We are not sworn enemies... We are neighbours who sometimes offend each other but can always sit down to talk over our differences”–GEJ
“Economic diplomacy does not need to be a zero-sum game where the gain of partner automatically translates to the loss of the other” –GEJ “If God did not will it we will not be Nigerians”–GEJ “I prefer to see the silver lining in the dark cloud rather than the dark cloud in the silver lining”–GEJ
“We are a nation of the future, not of the past, and while we may have travelled for a century, we are not yet at our destination of greatness.” –GEJ
104 Forward what they said...
Forward 105 in his own words...
“Democracy calls for sacrifice and tolerance, an open ear and a strong voice”–GEJ
“Cynicism and scepticism will not help our journey to greatness. Let us all believe in a new Nigeria”–GEJ “Peace and security are the barest, irreducible conditions for social and economic development”–GEJ “The goal of achieving positive macroeconomic stability is no end in itself”–GEJ “The time of lamentation is over. This is the era of transformation. This is the time for action”–GEJ
106 Forward what they said...
Forward 107 The Man from Otuoke
“I was not born rich, and in my youth, I never imagined that I would be where I am today, but not once did I ever give up” –GEJ
108 Forward Early Years FDr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), and President, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was born to a humble Niger Delta family of canoe makers on November 20, 1957, in the sleepy town of Otuoke, in Ogbia local government area in present day Bayelsa state, South-South Nigeria. President Jonathan, as the third child of his parents, Lawrence Ebele Jonathan and Eunice Aye Jonathan, was born like any other child. However, some incidents and events around his life later showed he was no ordinary son.
By deciding to name their son Goodluck, his parents were hopeful that although life was hard for them before his birth, their young boy would bring them good luck and change their fortune for the better. Sarah, Goodluck’s paternal grandmother, also saw something remarkable and special about the boy and nicknamed him ‘Azikiwe’ after Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, one of Nigeria’s founding fathers who, at the time of Goodluck’s birth, was one of the country’s patriarchs leading the campaign for independence from the British. Azikiwe, who later became Nigeria’s first President, was a celebrated figure as far as Sarah was concerned. She predicted that her grandson would one day attain the status of a great man like Azikiwe.
Forward 109 whatthe man they from said... otuoke...
“We have a duty to be loyal to our country” –GEJ
Education After his secondary education, he worked for two years at the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) where he was posted to several Growing up in the warmth of a close-knit family, President Jonathan beats like Guard Duty, Station Writer, the Radio Room, Rummaging had humble yet adventurous beginnings. In spite of the enchanting and Baggage, and Land and Water Patrols at the Nigerian Ports beauty of the Niger Delta and the pristine innocence of those times, Authority (NPA) in Port Harcourt and eventually becoming Preventive the young Jonathan, rather than take after the family trade, chose Officer there before putting in his resignation. Jonathan later to go to school. Indeed, when he was of school age, he personally proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt which the Federal demanded to be enrolled in school! Government had granted full university status on October 1, 1977. He attended St. Stephen’s Lower Primary School (now State When the university commenced its first academic session on School), Otuoke, and St. Michaels Primary School, Oloibiri, finishing October 24 that year, he made history as one of the pioneer students in 1969. There was however a reason why Jonathan had to attend admitted into the university, which nestled on the shores of the two schools for his elementary education. As was common with most Choba River, to study Zoology in the School of Biological Sciences. other primary schools at the time, St. Stephen’s only had classes Because he was the best Biology student in his secondary school up to Class Three. In essence, he couldn’t complete his elementary set for almost three consecutive years, his choice of Zoology as a education there. He thus moved to Oloibiri, a village several course of study from among Botany and Microbiology, the two kilometres from Otuoke, where he attended St. Michael’s which was other courses being offered by the department, didn’t come as a established by the Anglican Church. surprise to many of knew him then. Moreover, as a child, he had His primary school years at St. Michael’s were tough. It was while been fascinated with nature, and growing up by the shores of the there that President Jonathan, as a teenager, walked long distances intertwining rivers and waterways of the Niger Delta, aquatic life was to school bare-footed. He made a reference to that difficult phase second nature. of his life about four decades later when he declared his interest In 1981, Jonathan graduated with Second Class Upper honours. He to contest for Nigeria’s Presidency at the Eagle Square, Abuja in was one of the few who made Second Class Upper in his set. None September 2010, of having no shoes to walk to school, a touching of the graduating students made First Class. He was 24 years old. For story that inspired hope in many citizens who watched the event live his National Youth Service in 1981, he was posted to Iresi Secondary on TV within and outside the country! Commercial Grammar School in present-day Osun state. At the time, For his secondary education, Jonathan proceeded to Mater Dei Iresi was under Oyo state. High School, Imiringi, a small but centrally-located town in Ogbia where he passed his West African School Certificate with flying colours in 1975. At the school, he earned a reputation of being a His Career disciplined, hardworking and brilliant student. He made distinction in such subjects as Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Biology and When he returned to the warm embrace of his family and friends in Bible Knowledge with credit passes in Physics, English Literature 1982 after his national service, Jonathan applied to the Rivers State and English. The following year, he enrolled for the GCE O’Level Civil Service Commission for employment as a teacher. He impressed Examination and also passed brilliantly making As in Mathematics, the interview panel and was offered a job at the state’s Ministry of Chemistry, and Economics among others. Education. He was deployed to the Secondary Schools Department as
110 Forward what they said...
Forward 111 the man from otuoke...
“I prefer to see the silver lining in the dark cloud rather than the dark cloud in the a Science Inspector of Education. The department was responsiblesilver lining” –GEJ for schools inspection, standards monitoring, and registration of candidates for the West African School Certificate Examinations among others. Jonathan was dutiful at the job. However, rather than just being an inspector, he was more to Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the gubernatorial candidate of interested in teaching, and working at a higher level too! He spent the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa state. They won just few months at the job and resigned to join the Rivers State the election and got sworn in on May 29, 1999, when Nigeria College of Education in 1983 as an Assistant Lecturer in the Faculty returned to democratic governance after over 15 years of military of Science’s Department of Biological Science. dictatorship, making history as the first civilian administration of the As a lecturer at the Rivers State College of Education, President state since its creation in 1996. Jonathan was strict, hardworking, disciplined, conscientious and An outstanding quality which Jonathan displayed to much acclaim dutiful. It was in the institution that he would first be popularly while he served as Bayelsa State’s Deputy Governor was total loyalty known by GEJ, his initials. It was also at the college that Jonathan to his boss, unlike in some other states where the governors had also met his future wife and First Lady, Patience Ebifaka Oba, a running battles with their deputies. The Alamieyeseigha/Jonathan robust light-skinned young woman from Okrika. ticket later won a second term in 2003. All through the period that he lectured at the college, he had no But Jonathan served as Deputy Governor only until December 11, car. He used the same public transport as his students to commute 2005 as he replaced his former boss as the substantive Governor from Rumuolumeni, where the college is located, to the popular of Bayelsa state on December 12, 2005 following Alamieyeseigha’s Wimpey Junction along Ikwerre Road from where he walked the ten arrest by the London Metropolitan Police in September that year far minutes distance to the Unity and Friendship Estate along Mile 4, away in the United Kingdom over money laundering charges and his Rumukwata, Port Harcourt where the institution had rented a three subsequent impeachment by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly in bedroom flat. December 2005. That Jonathan wasn’t one of the lecturers who cut corners or That Jonathan didn’t carry out any overt or covert action or exhibit devoted his efforts to dubious schemes of making money by undue ambition to exploit the situation for his personal political insisting students pay huge sums before they pass, or concerned benefits in the turbulence of the political crisis that engulfed the parents part with large sums before their wards graduate, was state won him commendation from many admirers in Bayelsa state evident to many! and others across the country. He left the job in 1993 after lecturing for 10 years. In the same year, he was appointed Assistant Director, Ecology, in the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) in charge of Environmental Protection. In 1995, at 38 years old, Jonathan as Bayelsa state President Jonathan got his Ph.D in Zoology from the University of Governor Port Harcourt. This was after he had studied for his Master’s degree in Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology in the same university. And As Bayelsa state Governor, Jonathan offered renewed hope interestingly too, he bought his first car, a 1986 Datsun Bluebird that to Bayelsans during the one and a half year remainder of the same year! administration’s tenure. Within six months of assuming office as governor, he successfully repositioned the state by spreading tangible projects throughout the three senatorial districts of Bayelsa. Going into Politics Moreover, he also introduced a transport scheme to open up movement within the state as well as its neighbours. In the scheme, Jonathan’s passion and desire to better the lot of his people became 100 taxis, 25 boats and 72 mini buses were purchased for mass- ignited while he was working in a developmental environment transit programme under the Bayelsa State Government Assisted which the defunct OMPADEC provided. In 1998, he eventually Mass Transport (BSGAMT) and then given to transporters on a hire resigned his job in the commission and went into politics. purchase basis. Through his honesty, humility, simplicity, charisma, quiet strength In the health sector, his government introduced mobile clinics and and determination, Jonathan was selected as an ideal running mate ambulances to boost healthcare delivery. Jonathan as well stepped
112 Forward what they said...
up care for Bayelsa citizens who tested HIV positive while placing all of those openly living with the virus in the state on monthly allowances. He also encouraged the training of medical doctors at the medical school of the state-owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma to provide the From Vice President to Acting President required manpower at the health centres in and President! the state. However, a memorable incident worthy of note and one with future implications As he was busy preparing for election to his first full term as substantive governor, fate happened during Jonathan’s tenure as once again beckoned on Jonathan when the PDP, nominated him as running mate to the Governor. He had invited former Zambian Presidential candidate, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua. The Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket, with the President, Kenneth Kaunda, along with political strength of the party, would eventually go ahead to win the 2007 elections although then Senate President, Ken Nnamani, to amidst widespread irregularities, violence and allegations of rigging. On May 29, 2007, participate in the Yenagoa ‘Three-Arms Jonathan was inaugurated as Nigeria’s Vice President. Road Walk’ against HIV/AIDS which the In his inaugural address, Yar’Adua admitted that the electoral process that brought him state government was organising. He to power wasn’t a perfect one. He set up a committee on electoral reform and introduced was Chief Host. By the time Kaunda was a seven-point agenda which the administration would use to leapfrog Nigeria into the about returning to his country, the former elite club of the world’s 20 biggest economies by 2020. The administration was also able President looked at Jonathan and told him to successfully disarm militants in the Niger Delta that had for long tasked the might of a a profound statement: ‘‘Young man, you combined force of military and police personnel through the amnesty programme of the will rule this country very soon.’’ government. Jonathan and a close aide who was To also mark its commitment to solving the Niger Delta conundrum in order to develop with him were surprised by Kaunda’s the region, the administration created the Niger Delta ministry to do for the area what the statement. He was the youngest governor Federal Capital Territory Administration had done in developing Abuja! in the country then and was still struggling However, on Friday, November 20, 2009, Yar’Adua was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment to bring reconciliation to his people and of what his handlers called Acute Pericarditis, an inflammatory condition of the coverings rebuild his state. He was also yet to win the of the heart. Yar’Adua’s health later deteriorated for several months without his VP being nomination of his party for his full term in empowered to act in his capacity, a situation that almost took the country to the precipice. office. Jonathan only smiled. But Kaunda’s On Tuesday, February 9, 2010, Jonathan assumed office as Nigeria’s Acting President by words would turn prophetic barely a year virtue of a National Assembly resolution which the lawmakers called Doctrine of Necessity, later! empowering him as Acting President, following President Yar’Adua’s long absence for medical attention in Saudi Arabia. However, while the controversy that surrounded the health of President Yar’Adua lasted, Jonathan kept a dignified silence. He refrained from being drawn into the controversy. But had he demanded for it, Jonathan would have been asking for a legitimate affirmation of Section 145 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution. That he maintained his composure was, in itself, a virtue. And neither did Jonathan betray unbridled ambition to take over the President’s seat.
Forward 113 what they said...
“Separation of power is not separation of government” –GEJ
Due to mounting pressure from many fronts, members of the civil society, religious leaders, professional bodies and labour unions like the Nigeria Bar Association and the Nigeria Labour Congress including the media, the National Assembly, on February 9, 2010, exactly 78 days after Yar’Adua left the country, later proclaimed Jonathan as Acting President. On May 6, 2010, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was became President, Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria following the passing away of President Yar’Adua on May 5, 2010. While that crises in Nigeria’s history lasted, Jonathan’s patience and calm disposition, won him admiration, not only in Nigeria but across the world as he took office. From a crisis which had dangerously taken the country to the precipice of a major constitutional logjam emerged a leader for the country whose good fortune would effectively become talk points in many homes, gatherings and communities within and outside Nigeria, and with it, creating the stuff legends are made of: That where others had struggled to get to high positions, Jonathan had gotten all his own on a platter of gold because of the good luck that had followed him from birth! Reforming INEC and Nigeria’s Electoral Process
Jonathan’s swearing in as President opened his eyes to the vast potentials of the office as a potent instrument for the transformation of the country. He discovered that by sheer willpower, the occupier of that high office could end the long queues and price fluctuations in the country’s petrol stations. He also discovered that by insisting “Jonathan held the nation spell-bound that the right things be done, there could begin a turnaround in the power sector by involving the private sector in power generation with his well-written declaration and distribution. In his bid to live up to the expectations of Nigerians for a credible speech as well as its brilliant electoral umpire to be appointed in place of Maurice Iwu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delivery. His rigorous campaign train who was widely perceived to be corrupt and had brazenly aided large-scale rigging during the 2007 elections, Jonathan announced wove its message around national Attahiru Mahmoud Jega, a professor of political science, as the transformation” new INEC chairman. The appointment of Jega, a former President
114 Forward what they said...
of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who many beginning of a laborious campaign that saw him traverse the length Nigerians perceive as a man of integrity, was widely cheered and and breadth of the country criss-crossing the six geopolitical zones well-received. and visiting more states than any of his opponents. Jonathan held the nation spell-bound with his well-written declaration speech On the Campaign Trail as well as its brilliant delivery. His rigorous campaign train wove its message around national transformation. Before Jonathan’s On September 18, 2010, Jonathan declared his interest to contest emergence on the national scene, no Presidential candidate had yet as President in the 2011 elections at a colourful and well-attended captivated Nigeria like he successfully did. declaration ceremony in Abuja. The declaration marked the
Forward 115 what they said...
Making History
And interestingly too, Jonathan’s decision to open a Facebook account earlier in June 2010 was a creative strategy that gave a fillip to his campaign. By making history as the first Nigerian President on Facebook, one of the social media platforms, Jonathan positioned himself as the candidate for the young and upwardly mobile. On April 16, 2011, voters went to the polls and elected Jonathan as Nigeria’s 14th President. He was a man who, 10 years earlier, was hardly-well known to most of his countrymen. In the elections proper, Jonathan defeated top contenders like Muhammend Buhari of the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) and Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). That INEC, under Jega’s leadership, successfully conducted the 2011 elections which were generally adjudged free and fair and far better than the 2007 elections, with no accusation of the incumbent government’s interference in its operations, is a testament to the sincerity and commitment of the Jonathan administration to ensure credible polls in Nigeria.
On May 29, 2011, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took the oath of office as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
116 Forward what they said...
His Impact and Achievements
In pursuit of His Transformation Agenda bank failures are very low while Nigeria’s for the country, President Jonathan, on financial markets are back as the delight of getting to power, launched the Power international investors. Sector Roadmap, indeed, one of his It is not a common occurrence for ruling administration’s first activities, which was parties to lose elections especially in Africa. aimed at improving the electricity situation Yet, under Jonathan, the ruling PDP lost of the country. With the privatisation elections in states like Edo, Nasarawa, Imo, of the power sector and the wholesale Ogun, Oyo and Zamfara among others. The rehabilitation of existing generation, courts also ruled in favour of opposition transmission and distribution facilities parties in Osun and Ekiti states where the all over the country, the power situation PDP believed it had good cases. In the can only get better. But had previous past, such judicial pronouncements would administrations taken the practical steps have been ignored. Of course, while some Mr. President has taken till date, the power elements in his own party were not happy situation in the country would certainly not or impressed by his acts, his conviction was have deteriorated to the level it is today. that the will of all Nigerians most never be Although he assumed office at a period subverted if democracy would be deepened when the financial sector was in a mess, in the country. But Jonathan is hardly given with the Capital Market in dire straits as his due credit as one of the most God- a result of market meltdown while the fearing Presidents Nigeria has ever had. banking sector was gasping for breath His government, realising that cutting under heavy yoke of toxic assets in the down on recurrent expenditure in the books, President Jonathan pursued the national budget cannot be done overnight, reform of the markets with single-minded launched a gradual phased reduction. A determination and gave the regulatory consistent implementation of the medium authorities the freedom and support they and long-term targets will be clear for all required to sanitize the system. Today, the to see in the next few years with more Capital Market is steadfast on the path resources for capital expenditure. to total recovery while the banks are also Again, the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) back to profitability with the intervention which his government put into place, in line of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with best practices adopted by forward- and the Assets Management Company thinking countries like Norway and Qatar, of Nigeria (AMCON). The risks of future can also not be waved aside. The $1 billion
Forward 117 what they said...
“Our unity is firm, our purpose strong, our determination unshakable” –GEJ
seed capital invested in the Fund holds a lot of prospects for future processor of cassava in the world as processing plants that were on generations of Nigeria. the verge of collapse are already back in business. In 2011, Jonathan launched the Gas Revolution to develop In the area of Sports, Dr. Jonathan initiated the first-ever companies that will work on Oil and Gas derivatives. This will make Presidential Retreat on sports in Nigeria held in Abuja on October gas available for both domestic and industrial use, as well as for 22, 2012. It brought together key stakeholders to chart the way power generation across the country. forward for the country’s sports. The summit became imperative Moreover, under his government, there has been a more following the disappointing performance of Team Nigeria at the liberalised environment for freedom of association and as well 2012 London Olympics. freedom of expression in the country. His government’s record in this At the summit, Mr. President emphasised the point that Nigeria regards, beats that of previous administrations by several miles and needs to develop and implement immediate solutions for achieving on several fronts. He also signed the Freedom of Information (FOI) national sporting excellence. The success of the Nigerian Senior Bill into Law. In Nigeria today, there is no chance that anyone would football team, the Super Eagles, at the 2013 African Cup of Nations be arrested or murdered for expressing his opinions. And even (AFCON) in South Africa, is an inspiring evidence that the country though President Jonathan is hardly praised or commended for this, is on course to reclaim its lost glory in international football. his gentlemanly approach and uncommon tolerance for dissenting Jonathan’s administration also continues to encourage Nigerian views, even abuses against his person and family as a leader with athletes and sports men and women in various ways to develop enormous executive powers, is second to none. The likelihood of their talents so they can achieve their dreams and bring honour to security agencies being sent after people because they expressed their Fatherland. their opinions, no matter how vitriolic, is virtually non-existent. Of The extensive rehabilitation of the country’s rail network, the course, there are former Presidents of the country whom Nigerians, construction of roads and rehabilitation of major expressways across till date, perceive as having silenced their opponents by killing or the country, aside the remodelling of the country’s airports, and jailing them when they were in power. other achievements of his administration, are evidence of Jonathan’s In Education, Jonathan launched and promoted the Bring Back the passion to make Nigeria a better place to live in for all Nigerians. Book Initiative to revive and encourage the reading culture among More than any other President in Nigeria’s history, President school children and the Nigerian youths. To tackle the age-long Jonathan President Jonathan also entrenched the 35% Affirmation worrisome issue of Almajiris in the North, about 200 schools have Action as regards women in governance. His appointment of been built with 200 more to go. 13 female ministers out of a total of 42 and four female special His government has also been strengthening efforts to enhance advisers out of a total of 18 is already a record that would always access to education for boys in the South East. Jonathan’s be talked about in our country. Again, far above any other previous government as well established nine new federal universities to administration in the country too, the Jonathan Presidency stands increase access to tertiary education in the country while also tall in the patriotic efforts to document the activities of the improving infrastructure of already existing ones. Presidency for Nigerians and generations unborn, especially through In Agriculture, an indisputable fact is that Jonathan’s government publications and books, to read and learn from. has invested more in agriculture than any other previous leader And despite the security challenge the country has had to cope of the country as Nigeria seeks to exploit the vast potentials of with during his administration especially Boko Haram terrorism that critical sector which is its largest employer of labour. The and the bitter politics of opposition politicians who sometimes country, under Jonathan’s administration, is nearer to achieving unnecessarily heat up the polity aside the gargantuan challenge self sufficiency in rice production than any other time in its history. of leading a large party as the PDP with various interests and Through the Cassava Transformation Policy being implemented by ambitions, President Jonathan has maintained his focus, ever the Ministry of Agriculture, 40 % substitution of cassava flour for resolute and committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s economy and its wheat flour is already a reality.A dditionally, Nigeria, the largest infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country, becomes cassava producer globally, is on its way to becoming the largest far better than he met it.
118 Forward what they said...
The Man on a Mission
As President Jonathan, a recipient of many local and for the better, and particularly from the opposition which international awards, clocks 56 years on November 20, hardly sees any good in his administration, President 2013, he isn’t a fulfilled man yet. He is a man pursuing a Jonathan remains determined to transform Nigeria no mission. His vision of a country where all Nigerians can matter what doubters say. Of course, he sure needs the attain their life goals and live their dreams remains a continuous support of all patriotic and well-meaning work in progress even as he is devoted to ensuring that Nigerians. the transformation agenda of his administration bear And in spite of his assertion not too long ago that he visible fruits for all Nigerian citizens to see. is the most criticised President in the world, President However, despite the attacks and criticisms his Jonathan may well go down as the most praised administration has consistently have to contend with Commander-in-Chief in Nigeria’s history when the from Nigerians who are eager to see the country change long-term results of his transformation agenda in critical
Forward 119 what they said
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (inec) said jonathan won. He actually won. Like i said, a democrat must be ready to accept the result of any election. Any aggrieved contestant should have gone to court to challenge the outcome of the poll instead of instigating violence. Do-or-die politics and financial inducement of the electorate are inimical to our polity. These are not good for our country and people should desist from such acts.”
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) now All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor of Lagos State, admitting that President Goodluck Jonathan won the April 16, 2011 Presidential elections fair and square while speaking with journalists at Alausa, Lagos on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. Tinubu attributed the president’s victory to “hard work”.
120 Forward “This President does not interfere “I believe Jonathan with the work of the Judiciary” will do his best and once he does his best and our party does its best, the best will be enough.” El-Rufai, Former Minister of the FCT and APC Chieftain, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai while speaking with journalists at the State House on Tuesday, May 11,2010 when he visited President Jonathan as part of a delegation from Kaduna state which came to pay a solidarity visit.
“I believe President Goodluck Jonathan is capable of taking the Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President Olusegun nation to the next level. I am confident Obasanjo, speaking on the Jonathan administration with a United States- that President Goodluck Jonathan based news agency, Empowered Newswire, after attending a United will continue to lead us in the right Nations Session on the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Malaria and direction. I urge you all as a people Tuberculosis in New York , in to give the same support we gave September 2010. to the late President Yar’Adua to our new President. It is still the same government of our great party, the People’s Democratic Party.” Bukola Saraki, Former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, speaking at the Government House, Ilorin when members of the National Assembly from Kwara state, the state executive of the PDP and members of the state’s House of Assembly paid him a condolence visit over the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Forward 121 “I have never been pro- Abacha and had always seen Major Al-Mustapha as an adversary, especially during the June 12 years; I was driven into exile at that time, so I am not here to defend the government of Abacha or the conduct of Al-Mustapha while he served the administration. “But over time, especially since the return to democratic rule, I feel we should be driven by the rule of law in every facets of our life in this country. “In this case, it was very clear to me that an injustice is being done, so whether we were friends or foes before is neither here nor there, the issue was that an innocent man was locked up for 14 years for something he never did, and was even wrongly convicted by a court of law, thankfully the Court of Appeal has risen up to say it was an unjust ruling, and he is a free man again. “I also commend the government under President Goodluck Jonathan for refusing to interfere in the process. We have seen this sort of thing before, if a government wants something bad enough, they know what to do, but this time around, it appears they didn’t get involved and Nigerians should clap for this administration for doing the right thing.”
Femi Fani-Kayode, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation speaking at a news conference in Abuja shortly after the Court of Appeal in Lagos discharged and acquitted Major Al-Mustapha on July 12, 2013 and commending the federal government for not interfering in the court process while it lasted unlike successive regimes in the past. Al-Mustapha had earlier been convicted by Lagos High Court for the killing of Mrs. Abiola, wife of late Moshood Abiola, the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential elections.
122 Forward “President Goodluck Jonathan is free to contest in the 2011 elections despite the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party. Zoning arrangement is Presidency by allocation. I have expressed my view “If Nigeria does not talk before the next that any Nigerian is general elections, the country may cease entitled to contest.” to exist. The amalgamation of Nigeria is not a mistake and the things that nasir el-rufai Former Minister of the FCT and APC unite the country are more than those Chieftain, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai dividing it. That is why we must all reason while speaking with journalists at the State House on Tuesday, May together when we have the chance to 11,2010 when he visited Preisdent Jonathan as part of a delegation talk. Those that have being campaigning from Kaduna state which came to for the national conference in the past pay a solidarity visit. are now campaigning against it because tables have turned and they have benefitted from the public treasury. If we do not talk before the 2015 elections, we can just kiss Nigeria goodbye.” tunde bakare Pastor Tunde Bakare, Convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), endorsing the planned national conference announced by Mr. President during the October 1, 2013 Independence Anniversary Broadcast to the nation, while speaking at the launch and maiden lecture of the Centre for Change on Tuesday, October 15, 2013, in Lagos.
Forward 123 “The last general election in Nigeria was not perfect, but overall it was an improvement over past travesties that were passed off as elections in Nigeria. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, and his team should be allowed to build upon the gains of that exercise for the good of the nation.”
Chinua Achebe, page 247, There was a Country
124 Forward what they said...
“I want to appreciate Mr. President with his resolve and public pronouncement that he would provide adequate security for the people and the INEC staff before, during and after the election. I am glad that Mr President kept to his words of assurance that there would be no thuggery, hooliganism and violence during the Edo Governorship Election. He is indeed a statesman, a man of honour because there was adequate and effective presence of security agents on ground. I am impressed because the army actually played a neutral role in the election” Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (APC governor) on his re-election as Edo State governor after defeating the candidate from the president’s party
Forward 125 INTERNATIONAL LEADERS
“President Jonathan has committed to building on the democratic process that we’ve seen in Nigeria in the past. The last election that brought President Jonathan to power was a hallmark on the continent and in Nigeria in terms of free and fair elections. And I know that he is committed to making sure that the elections in 2015 move in that same fashion.”
President Barack Obama, President Barack Obama of the United States of America, speaking during a bilateral meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York in September 2013.
126 Forward “The democracy in Nigeria is one that has been operating for a long time and like every democracy, it keeps moving forward and improving itself. We see in President Jonathan “My mission is to come and listen and appreciate a strong commitment and understand exactly what economic and strong degree programmes will be implemented in Nigeria, of activities in being and the initiative and the leadership of President able to improve this Goodluck Jonathan. I was extremely impressed democracy and ensure with the energy and pace at which he wants to that the next election transform the economy, create jobs, and focus on is fair, transparent and agriculture.” credible.” Christine Lagarde Maria Otero, US Under-secretary of State for IMF Chief, Christine Lagarde, speaking with journalists after she met Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria with President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, December 19, 2011 Otero, speaking when she visited while on her first visit toA frica as head of the fund. Lagarde held talks President Goodluck Jonathan in with President Goodluck Jonathan after meeting Finance Minister Ngozi company of former US Ambassador Okonjo-Iweala and other Nigerian economic officials earlier in the day. to Nigeria, Ms. Robin Sanders.
Forward 127 flashback Comments & Observations on the 2011 Elections
128 Forward flashback
Preliminary Statement Of The African Union Observer Mission On The 2011 Presidential Election in Nigeria 16 April 2011
A. Introduction In response to the invitation of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC) and in accordance with the Guidelines for African Union African Union Election Observation and Monitoring Missions, H. E. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, dispatched an Observer Mission to the 2011 National Assembly (House of Representatives and Senate) and Presidential Elections in Nigeria. The in public places, ranging from schools to community halls. In some AU Observer Mission issued a preliminary statement on the National other cases, polling units were established by the road side. Assembly (NASS) Elections of 9 April, 2011 on Tuesday 12 April, ii. Polling units were generally established in the open, with officials, 2011. voters, party agents and observers exposed to harsh weather During the Presidential Elections, the AU Mission is led by H.E. conditions.. John Agyekum Kufuor, former President of the Republic of Ghana. Members of the Mission are drawn from Elections Management iii. In general, polling units were located within a reasonable reach Bodies (EMBs), National Parliaments, the Pan African Parliament, from voters. However, in some rural areas, a number of polling Ambassadors, eminent persons and members of civil societies units were far from voters and rendered their accessibility relatively from various African countries. The Mission Observers are from difficult. Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, iv. The distribution of materials was much better than during the Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and National Assembly Election of 9 April, 2011. Polling materials were Zimbabwe. Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe distributed to the wards on the eve of the election day. also sponsored delegates to the Mission. The Mission is assisted by a team of technical staff from the AU II. Opening Of The Polls Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the Pan-African vii. In most polling units, by 7:30am when the AU teams arrived Parliament in Midrand, South Africa; and the Johannesburg-based to observe the opening of the polling process, preparations were Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA). already under way and potential voters had started queuing. B. Deployment for the 16 April, 2011 viii. Most polling units opened on time, after all procedures required Presidential Elections by relevant regulations and common practices had been followed. On Thursday 14 April, 2011 the AU Mission redeployed 14 observer However, some polling units did experience delays in opening. For teams to the Federal Capital Territory and the following States: example in Kwara State, at the University of Ilorin II. Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Oyo and Rivers. ix. In comparison with the NASS Elections, polling staff seemed to Upon arrival, the teams visited INEC State offices to establish have a firmer grip on the voting procedures devised by INEC, and the level of preparedness of the Commission for the Presidential seemed to apply them with consistency. Elections and to familiarise themselves with polling units where they would observe on polling day. III. Accreditation Of Voters C. Observations x. In line with the legal framework, accreditation of voters took place within the hours of 8:00am and 12:00pm in most of the polling After analysing the observations made by its different teams, the AU units. However, it was extended beyond 12:00pm in a number of Mission makes the following findings: polling units where the process did not commence on time. I. Location of Polling Units And Distribution of Election xi. The challenge of missing names from voters register persisted in a Materials few of the polling units visited. But the cases were far fewer. i. The polling units visited by the AU teams were commonly situated xii. The AU team in Kaduna State observed that contrary to INEC
Forward 129 what they said...
guidelines, accreditation and voting were simultaneously carried out VII. Counting And Collation in a number of polling stations. This happened in Sabon Tasha Ward, xx. Counting procedures started immediately after the closure of at Mando Primary School and Abuja Road-New Extension, where polling operations and continued without interruption till the end voters were allowed to vote immediately after their accreditation. of the operation, when the results for the polling unit were publicly IV. Balloting announced by the presiding officer. xiii. In most polling units, voting commenced immediately xxi. The counting of votes was publicly done in the presence of party after accreditation, although there were inconsistencies in the agents, security personnel, national and international observers and commencement of the voting process. In some stations, presiding voters who stayed behind after casting their votes. officers complied with the stipulated procedure of counting xxii. The process was generally orderly and peaceful, and was accredited voters before commencement of the polls while, in other conducted in an open and transparent manner. There was no major stations, this procedure was not complied with. incident, except determination of spoilt ballot. xiv. Voting generally took place in a free and orderly manner. A VIII. Security Arrangements remarkable feature of the polling process was how the people actively involved themselves in ensuring that the polls were a xxiii. The AU teams did not observe any significant security incident success. The Mission did not observe any major hindrance or during the polling, and when the incident occurred it was handled disturbance that could have negatively affected the polling. professionally by members of the Nigeria Police present, deployed in reasonable numbers in all the polling units visited. xv. Contrary to the directives of INEC that each polling unit should have a maximum of 300 voters, but many of the polling units visited xxiv. The AU Mission noted that the presence of members of the were over-crowded and posed a problem in terms of crowd control. police forces was discreet and contributed to the peaceful and But despite long queues and challenging weather conditions, voters orderly environment that prevailed during the voting. The security demonstrated eagerness and determination at the polling units measures established at polling units did not give the impression of visited. intimidating or instilling fear in voters. On the contrary, the neutral, professional and friendly role played by police officers seemed xvi. Most of the polling staff showed high professional conduct and to contribute to the generally peaceful atmosphere in which the commitment to their duties. They followed the prescribed procedures presidential polls took place. for voting and remained steadfast throughout the duration of the polling. D. Findings And Recommendations xvii. There was an impressive presence of party agents and domestic Based on the observations and findings of its different teams, observers in most polling units visited. In general, polling booths the African Union Observer Mission makes the following were arranged in such a way that the secrecy of the ballot was recommendations for the improvement of future electoral processes, protected. In some instances, however, either ballot booths were not and as a contribution to any political reforms that relevant provided or they were improperly placed and this impinged on the authorities in Nigeria might envisage and carry out: secrecy of the poll. The Mission noted that INEC had embarked on an inclusive voter xviii. Challenges noted during polling include: registration process ahead of the 2011 elections. However, the voters’ registers as they stood for the Presidential Elections were not Missing names from the voters’ register in a number of polling as accurate and complete as they should be. Cases of omitted or units; missing names were observed throughout the country, while voters Lack of clarity on the role of party agents and representatives of were in possession of valid voter’s cards. The AU Mission therefore candidates; recommends that in future the voters’ registers be released well in advance of election day in order to allow candidates, political parties Voting by seemingly under-age people; and voters to verify its accuracy and correct any possible errors. Prolonged wait between the commencement of accreditation and INEC and relevant stakeholders should undertake extensive and the actual voting, generally under challenging weather conditions; continuous voter education initiatives to enable the electorate to Polling units located relatively far from potential voters, especially understand their rights and obligations, and the whole electoral in rural areas; process. Absence of ballot booths in a number of polling units; The Mission noted the high level of spoilt ballot papers due, in most cases, to the spilling of ink on the ballot paper and Inconsistencies in the application of procedures as directed in the inconsistency in the application of procedures. The Mission noted INEC manual. the discrepancy in the way presiding officers would validate or V. Closing of Polling Process invalidate ballot which posed problem. It would also appear that xix. In some polling units, voting closed at 4:00pm, but in other the quality of the ink used to mark the voter’s choice on the ballot counting has already been concluded. was not up to the required standards. The Mission is of the view that
130 Forward flashback
electoral legislation should be reviewed to provide for alternative E. Conclusion voting procedures in place of thumb printing. On the basis of their observations and using the 2002 Declaration In the subsequent elections, INEC should not only provide polling on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa, the booths at all polling units to ensure the secrecy of the ballot, but African Union Election Observer Mission conclude that the 2011 also give clear directives on how and where the ballot booths Presidential Elections in the Federal Republic of Nigeria were should be arranged in polling units. conducted in a manner that allowed the people of Nigeria to Voting by under-age was one of persistent problems observed express their democratic choice without any major hindrance. in the recently held elections. To address this, the Mission suggests The Mission would like to congratulate INEC, its leadership and staff that INEC, in conjunction with other relevant authorities, should at all levels, for its commitment, dedication and a sterling effort in put in place measures for proper screening and registration of overcoming all the challenges towards the delivery of successful and prospective voters, in strict compliance with constitutional and legal credible elections in the country. requirements. The African Union Mission wishes to acclaim the people of Nigeria, political parties and candidates, as well as all the stakeholders Over-crowding in polling units should be addressed. The initial involved in the current electoral process, for the peaceful conduct of plan by INEC to have 300 voters per polling unit is commendable. the 2011 Presidential Elections. INEC should make clear and strict provisions for the full It has come to the attention of the AU Mission that some acts of implementation of this arrangement. violence have erupted in some States since the commencement of the announcement of results. The AU Mission would like to appeal to the top political leadership and other stakeholders across the board to restrain their supporters from engaging in violent acts and to safeguard the integrity of the federal State. The Mission encourages all parties to seek redress through constitutional and legal mechanisms. The Mission notes with regret a number of violent incidents and the bomb blasts in some States and sends its heartfelt condolences to the families of people who lost their lives in these tragic incidents. H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor, Former President of the Republic of Ghana AU observer Mission Leader: 2011 Nigeria Presidential Elections Issued at the AU observer Mission office Sheraton Hotel Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria 18 April 2011
“We must develop a democratic culture in which the will of the people will be treated as sacred and be immune to subversion by anti-democratic elements.”
Forward 131 what they said...
Nigerian Election Major Step Forward APRIL 18,2011
ABUJA, Nigeria – IRI found that the April 16, 2011 presidential election was a major step forward in advancing Nigeria’s democracy. Under the capable leadership of Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), The International the election overall was transparent and orderly, Republican Institute allowing Nigerians the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. Chairman Jega and his team have made great strides in improving the quality of Nigerian elections and deserve credit for what has of legitimate results. Even though IRI’s delegation is not yet able been achieved in the short eight months since they were appointed. to assess the acceptance of the results, the overall conclusion At more than 340 polling stations where IRI observed, delegates is that in at least four areas this election was different from the were particularly impressed by the Nigerian people’s desire for previous three national elections – particularly from the election in democracy coupled with their determination to vote. Voters came 2007 where IRI observed and reported serious electoral fraud and early, calmly stood in line for hours to be accredited and then vote disenfranchisement of the voters. The areas where IRI observed the and in many cases remained in place to observe the count. The most improvements are: National Youth Service Corps members, who administered the election, are to be especially commended for their dedication and Theoverallintegrityoftheelectoralprocess; hard work. The professionalism and independence of INEC, specifically the Also, worthy of note was the fact that between the April 9 national appointment of Chairman Jega and Nigerians’ confidence in his assembly elections and the presidential election, INEC addressed a leadership and ability to oversee open and transparent elections; number of deficiencies in the election process. A more proper role of security forces; and Many of Nigeria’s political parties have been active participants A reduction in election-related violence. in the electoral process, signing the Party Code of Conduct and demonstrating their willingness to accept results of the April 9 As Nigeria enters the final stage of the electoral process for national assembly elections. IRI hopes the parties will continue to the presidential election and repares for the gubernatorial, accept election results and encourages them to be a positive part of state assembly and local government elections, IRI’s delegation the process. encourages the political parties and election and government officials at all levels to respect the will of voters by conducting the Civil society was also an active participant in the electoral process vote tabulation in a transparent and honest manner. The delegation and played a significant role by conducting voter education further encourages all candidates and their followers to accept campaigns and serving as domestic observers during the national legitimate results and file legitimate complaints with the proper assembly and presidential elections. Strengthening the role of authorities. civil society organizations and ensuring they have the resources to conduct voter education will improve future Nigerian elections In meetings with IRI and other international election observation IRI delegates also noted the role women played in the national delegations. Chairman Jega has said that Nigerians must not assembly and presidential elections. Women served as poll workers, rest on their laurels and that they must continue to build on the provided security and voted in large numbers in the urban centers. high election standards set on April 16. In this context, IRI will However, the extent to which women are fully participating in the issue a comprehensive report in the future which will include political process needs to be addressed. recommendations on how Nigeria can continue to strengthen its election institutions and processes. Among the issues to be covered IRI’s delegation recognizes that all elections are a process of pre- in those recommendations will be: 1) revisiting recommendations election environment and pre-election administration, Election Day of the Electoral Reform Committee which were not adopted by the voting, vote counting, post-election adjudication and acceptance National Assembly; 2) improving the voter list to ensure people are
132 Forward flashback
properly registered; 3) strengthening civic education so all Nigerians ■ Peter Manu, Vice Chairman of the International Democratic Union fully understand the nature of the election process and their role; 4) and National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in Ghana; ensuring that the political parties evolve into constructive actors in Ray McNally, President and Creative Director at McNally Temple the process, respecting democratic values in their internal behavior Associates, Inc.; and commitment to transparent elections; 5) addressing the problem of underage voting; and 6) ensuring polling stations have a Victoria Middleton, Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Duncan manageable number of registered voters. D. Hunter (CA); While violence has been relatively low during these elections, the IRI John Morlu, Auditor General of the General Auditing Commission delegation extends its sympathy for those people and their families in Liberia; who have died or been injured during the process. Maimuna Abdalla Mwidau, Chairperson of the League of Muslim Representatives from Bangladesh, Canada, Estonia, Ghana, Kenya, Women of Kenya; Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Norway, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and the United Mart Nutt, member of the Estonian Parliament; States observed accreditation, voting and ballot counting in Abuja, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, J. Peter Pham, Director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center at Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa and Ogun. the Atlantic Council; IRI’s delegation was led by former Slovenian Prime Minister and Christiana Thorpe, Chief of the Sierra Leone National Electoral current Member of Parliament Janez Janša and Constance Berry Commission; and Newman, member of IRI’s Board of Directors, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and former U.S. Agency for Christopher Tuttle, Director of the Washington Program at the International Development Assistant Administrator for Africa. Council on Foreign Relations. Other IRI delegates were: IRI staff also served as observers and assisted in the mission. They were led by Judy Van Rest, Executive Vice President; Dan Nadia Diuk, Vice President, Programs – Africa, Central Europe Fisk, Vice President for Policy and Strategic Planning; Paul Fagan, and Eurasia, Latin America and Caribbean at the National Regional Director of IRI’s Africa division based in Washington, DC; Endowment for Democracy; and Mourtada Deme, Country Director of IRI’s Nigeria program Valerie Dowling, Political Director for the National Federation of based in Abuja. Upon arrival in Nigeria, delegates were briefed by Republican Women; representatives from the U.S. Rich Galen, political strategist and commentator; Embassy, INEC, international and Nigerian nongovernmental organizations and political parties. They were also briefed on Deborah Grey, former member of the Canadian Parliament and Nigerian election law and the rights and responsibilities of first-ever female leader of the official opposition; international observers. Arturo Sanchez Gutierrez, advisor to the Federal Electoral IRI also fielded a pre-election assessment mission earlier this year, Institute in Mexico; which was led by His Excellency John Kufuor, former President Jake Hale, founder of CS Advisors, LLC; of Ghana, and deployed 12 long-term observers to Nigeria’s six geo-political regions. IRI’s long-term observers have been in Nigeria Maureen Harrington, former Vice President for Policy and since March monitoring the campaigns and preparations for the International Relations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation; national assembly elections, the presidential election and the Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, Chairman of the National Election gubernatorial, state assembly and local government elections. They Observation Council (JANIPOP) in Bangladesh; also participated in observing the April 16 presidential election. Darren Kew, Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution and IRI has monitored more than 135 elections in more than 40 the Executive Director of the Center for Peace, Democracy and countries, including Nigeria’s 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections. Development at the University of Massachusetts at Boston McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies; Ann Liebschutz, Executive Director of the U.S. – Israel Science and Technology Foundation; Beate Bergsholm Lindgard, Regional Campaign Manager and Head of Office of the Conservative Party in Norway; Robert B. Lloyd, Associate Professor of International Relations at Pepperdine University; Djingarey Maiga, Executive Director of Femmes et Droits Humains in Mali;
Forward 133 what they said...
COMISSÌO DA CEDEAO Ecowas Observer Mission To The Presidential Elections Of 16 April 2011 In The Federal Republic Of Nigeria
Preliminary Declaration 1. The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. James Victor Gbeho, in line with the provisions of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on CEDEAO ecowas Democracy and Good Governance, deployed an Observation Mission comprising three hundred (300) persons to observe the Nigerian Presidential Election of 16 April 2011. ECOWAS Observers were deployed in the six geo-political zones of elections, especially towards making the voting process secure; Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Concrete steps taken by the INEC to ascertain among inter alia, 2. The Mission, headed by H.E. Amos Claudius Sawyer, former Head that electoral officers are in full control of the polling processes of the Interim Na- tional Government of the Republic of Liberia, is especially the responsibility for ensuring the availability of adequate part of efforts by ECOWAS to support Member States in the process voting materials at polling stations; of consolidating democracy and good governance. The Mission’s primary aim, in the case of Nigeria, is to ensure that it meets the Specific arrangements made to deal with problems that could criteria of a free, transparent and credible Election. arise from a high voter turnout on election day and ensure that appropriate conditions exist for the conduct of the polls and to also 3. As the Head of ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, H.E. Amos guarantee transparency throughout the voting process; Sawyer paid a courtesy call on the incumbent President of Nigeria who is also the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority. The Head of Efforts by the Federal Government to provide adequate finances Mission also called on Vice Presidential candidates of the Congress required to support the electoral process. for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria 5. These measures, in the opinion of ECOWAS, are encouraging and (ACN), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) underscore the determination and commitment of all stakeholders and the Nigerian Police Force. He also met with representatives of to ensure confidence and credibility of the electoral process for a Civil Society Organisations such as the Centre for Democracy and more peaceful atmosphere in the run-up to the elections. Development (CDD) and the Swift Count Coalition, as well as the Heads of different Observation Missions including the European 6. As a result of the information obtained by observer teams Union, African Union and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). deployed in the six (6) geo- political zones, (ie: South-East, South- West, South-South, North Central, North-East, North-West) and the 4. Following these talks which centred on preparations for the polls, Federal Capital Territory, the Mission made the following prelimi- the Head of Mission was reassured by the commitments made and nary assessment of the accreditation and voting process: concrete steps already taken by the differ- ent stakeholders in the a. Good turnout of voters although there were lower numbers electoral process, to guarantee that the presidential elections were recorded in some parts of the South; conducted under the best possible conditions. In particular, the b. Manifest enthusiasm of the majority of voters; Observation Mission was pleased to note the efforts made by the c. Timely availability of all election materials in the majority of polling INEC to resolve some logistical and security problems encountered stations; during the legislative elections of April 9, 2011. As a result of the d. The orderly and peaceful atmosphere which prevailed throughout foregoing, the Mission noted with satisfaction: the process; Efforts by the security agencies to ensure that the elections are e. High participation of women and young people; conducted in a peaceful environment; f. Relatively good knowledge of and compliance with voting procedures by election of- ficials and consequently their enhanced Measures taken to ensure better cooperation and synergy capacity to effectively administer the process; among the various entities involved in the organisation of the g. Presence of representatives of major political parties including the
134 Forward flashback
ACN, CPC and PDP in most polling stations; 11. In particular, the Mission congratulates the INEC for its h. The presence of an adequate number of security operatives at leadership and professional- ism. It also pays tribute to the security polling stations, particu- larly in sensitive areas; agencies for their impartial and exemplary conduct during the i. Successful conduct of the process of counting at the polling elections. stations in accordance with the Electoral Act. 12. The Mission also commends the enthusiasm, maturity and sense 7. However, some shortcomings were observed during the electoral of civic responsi- bility demonstrated by the electorate. It hopes that exercise. They are: (i) incomplete voter registers in some polling the same spirit of respect for order and discipline will characterize stations; the rest of the electoral process. Voters are also urged to maintain (ii) differences in the interpretation by INEC officials of procedures their high sense of responsibility and tolerance during the remaining for concurrent ac- creditation and voting; election period. (iii) the closure of a few polling stations before the official closing 13. Similarly, the Mission calls on all candidates in the presidential time resulting in the in- ability of previously accredited voters to election, to accept the outcome of the polls and where absolutely cast their votes; and (iv) slow rate of voting in some stations mainly necessary, may resort to constitutional and legal channels, for due to an imbalance in the ratio of voters to electoral officials. remedy. The Mission also noted that in some areas especially in the South- South (Akwa Ibom, Delta) observers were not allowed to observe 14. The Mission regrets the violent incidents that occurred at the the voting in the pre- cinct at polling stations. It is hoped that end of the voting pro- cess, particularly in Maiduguri and Kaduna, appropriate measures will be taken by INEC to avoid a repetition of which in some cases led to the loss of lives. It, therefore, urges the this in the next tranche of the elections. relevant authorities to take necessary measures to avoid similar occurrences in the future. 8. The shortcomings mentioned require remedial action by the Authorities to further enhance the credibility of the electoral process. 15. Finally, the ECOWAS Observation Mission wishes to thank the However, the ECOWAS Mission is of the view that, notwithstanding Federal Government of Nigeria and INEC, for ensuring that adequate these shortcomings, the organisation of the election can be security and other measures were put in place to facilitate the considered as generally acceptable. successful deployment and observation of the presidential election by the ECOWAS Observation Team. 9. Having found no major incidents or irregularities, the ECOWAS Observation Mission is persuaded that the presidential election of The Head of Mission April 16, 2011 meets the criteria of being free and transparent. Done at Abuja this 17th day of April 2011 10. Therefore, the ECOWAS Observation Mission would like to commend the Federal Government of Nigeria and all other stakeholders for ensuring a peaceful and orderly election, thus making it a historic step for the strengthening of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
“I pledge once again to all the people of this nation that they will have free and fair elections, even as I stand to be a candidate.” Sept 18, 2010.”
Forward 135 Commonwealth Observer Group Nigeria National Assembly and Presidential Elections 2011 INTERIM STATEMENT by H/E Festus Mogae, Chairman, Commonwealth Observer Group
Commonwealth Observer Group Nigeria National Assembly and Presidential Elections 2011 INTERIM STATEMENT by H E Festus Mogae, Chairman, Commonwealth Observer Group The Commonwealth was invited by the Independent National Elector- al Commission (INEC) of Nigeria Commonwealth to observe the 2011 elections. Following an Observer Group assessment mission from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Secretary-General ac- cepted the invitation and constituted an Observer Group of thirteen persons, supported for a protracted and expensive electoral process. by a team from the Secretariat. I was privileged to lead this Timelines for the conduct of a poll must provide enough time for all distinguished Group, which has been in Nigeria since 26 March stages to be ad- equately completed so as not to impact negatively 2011; we extended our stay after the National As- sembly and on other aspects of the process, notably in confirming candidate Presidential elections were both postponed by a week. nominations in good time for the poll, ballot printing and distri- At the start of our mission and subsequently, we met with the bution of materials. Further, all printing of ballots and other sensitive Chairman and senior officials of INEC, some presidential candidates, materials should be conducted with safeguards, so as to avoid the other representatives of political parties, civil society, the media, unfortunate delays that affected the 2 April postponed polls. Commonwealth High Commissioners, as well as other interna- It is desirable for late changes to the Electoral Act to be avoided. tional and domestic observers. Through these consultations, we have Amending an Act so close to the conduct of the elections made an effort to develop a proper understanding of the political creates uncertainty and a lack of clarity and aware- ness among scene in Nigeria and the issues that preoc- cupy the stakeholders. stakeholders as to the procedures and institutional responsibilities. Commonwealth teams were based in eight locations around The creation of a new biometric Voter Register within a short space the country, both for the National Assembly elections on 9 April of time was a major achievement and a significant factor in the and the Presidential elections on 16 April (after having also been credibility of the 2011 elections. How- ever, the time available for deployed for the postponed National Assembly elections on 2 registration was too short. The register needs to be rectified to April). Our teams met with Resident Electoral Commissioners and include all eligible voters and thereafter to be properly maintained, other INEC officials, do- mestic and international observers and with continuous checks to address anomalies. other stakeholders at the State and local levels, in order to assess the situation in their respective areas of coverage. On the two We welcome INEC’s intention to do so. We believe that removing election days and thereafter, they observed the accreditation, voting, the current prohibi- tion on independent candidates would increase counting and collation of results. participation rights and might also help to alleviate some of the tensions which currently bedevil political party primaries. Everywhere we went, we were warmly welcomed by Nigerians from We were deeply disappointed to see the low percentage of women all walks of life. This is an interim statement, meant to provide an candidates in the elections. We strongly urge political parties to initial summary assessment of the electoral process as we observed mainstream gender policies and signifi- cantly increase the number it. We will shortly submit a Final Report to the Com- monwealth of women in positions of leadership and decision-making, as well as Secretary-General, setting out our findings on the entire process and to ensure a level playing field for female aspirants to political office. our recommendations in greater detail. Participation rights would also be more fully provided for if the Electoral Framework and Management minimum age require- ments for National and State Assembly of the Process candidates were appropriately reduced. We believe that Nigeria’s 2010 Electoral Act, as well as the 1999 There needs to be an arrangement for persons performing election Constitution (as amend- ed) provided the necessary conditions duty on polling day to be able to exercise their right to vote; we for INEC to function as an independent and im- partial election believe that over a million people may have been disenfranchised management body. INEC was also provided with sufficient resources for want of such a mechanism.
136 Forward flashback
The Campaign The National Broadcasting Commission should ensure that the state We were encouraged by the vigorous campaigns undertaken by media accords equitable coverage to all stakeholders, particularly political parties and can- didates and even more so by the fact during the campaign period. that they focused on manifestos and policies, rather than on Some of the private media must also transcend narrow partisan personalities, particularly at the level of the presidential elections. considerations and report more objectively and in the larger interest We welcome the generally peaceful nature of the campaign and of the nation. the electoral process. At the same time, we were saddened by the Overall Impressions instances of violence that took place during the campaign as well The April 2011 elections marked a genuine celebration of democracy as subsequently. We have already condemned the cowardly attacks in Africa’s most populous country and a key member of the on innocent persons in Suleja and Maiduguri that claimed several Commonwealth. Previously held notions that Nigeria can only hold lives and maimed many others. Such violence has no place in a flawed elections are now being discarded and this country can now democracy. shake off that stigma and redeem its image. Notwithstanding the The Code of Conduct for Political Parties is a valuable feature that organisational deficien- cies that resulted in the 2A pril National needs to be consoli- dated and implemented in letter and spirit. Assembly elections being aborted after they had started, and in spite The Inter-Party Advisory Committee should become a standing of persistent procedural inconsistencies and technical shortcomings, mechanism for resolving differences and promoting consensus the elections for the National Assembly and the Presidency were among political stakeholders. both credible and credit- able and reflected the will of the Nigerian people. Voting, Counting and Results The experience of 2 April should not have happened. While INEC The success of the electoral process must be attributed in large managed to hold a reasonable election on 9 April and improved its measure to the respect and confidence enjoyed by INEC, and performance further on 16 April, it clearly needs to improve on its in particular by its Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega. In him, organisational capacity. the nation was able to look up to a person of deep integrity, The special process of accreditation of voters devised by INEC transparency and commitment, who was determined to make every was a response to the malpractices of the past, in particular the Nigerian’s vote count. His willing- ness to accept full responsibility phenomenon of multiple voting. However, in the event some aspects for the fiasco of 2A pril, and his readiness to postpone the National of the procedures were abandoned because they were impracti- cal. Assembly elections a second time in response to requests by the There remain shortcomings with the voter registration, based stakeholders, helped Nigerians keep faith in INEC, which eventually on the number of people with voter cards but missing from the did not let them down. voter register. This needs to be urgently addressed. There needs We commend the contribution made by the National Youth Service to be stricter safeguards against underage voting, a phenomenon Corps, whose members worked as ad hoc INEC staff for the witnessed in parts of the country. elections. These young Nigerians, a large number of whom were Some of the polling units we visited were poorly located and badly women, showed dedication and courage in helping to deliver a laid out, creating unnecessary problems for INEC staff and security transparent electoral process, often in difficult conditions.T hey are a personnel. There was no protection from the elements in most cases. source of pride and Some polling units were also ill-equipped in terms of basic furniture hope for Nigeria. and lighting. Our appreciation goes also to the Nigerian security forces, drawn The secrecy of the ballot needs better protection. Many did not seem from various services, whose strenuous and coordinated efforts to mind voting under the gaze of others – and some did not bother ensured that the elections were largely held in an atmosphere to fold their ballots for fear of spoil- ing them. However, their right of peace and order. But credit for the success of the electoral to a secret ballot is sacrosanct and cannot be taken for granted. We process must go, most of all, to the people of Nigeria themselves. commend the inclusiveness and transparency of the counting and Right from when we arrived in this country we were struck by the collation process wherever our teams were present. popular mood of determination to realise genuine democ- racy. We noted the deep-seated public frustration at the history of deficient Overall, training provided to polling officials must be improved to elections and the desire to make a new beginning. Across the length ensure greater con istency in the application of procedures and and breadth of the country, the people of Nigeria demonstrated increased awareness among staff of the correct modalities for each exemplary dignity, responsibility and forbearance, wait- ing the stage of the process. entire day peacefully and patiently under the hot sun, or in heavy The Media rain, to exercise their franchise. We salute them and wish them well We were impressed by Nigeria’s vigorous media and by the as the custodians of their hard-earned democracy. coverage it provided to the electoral process. We noted the predominant exposure given in the media to the ruling party and its Abuja, 18 April 2011 For media enquiries, please contact Mr. Julius Mucunguzi at + 234 (0)706 presidential candidate, which is to some extent a reflection of the 359 7240 or [email protected] resources at the party’s command.
Forward 137 Statement on the Presidential Elections Results Monday April 18, 2011 Delivered at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, on behalf of the National Steering Committee (NSC) of Project 2011 Swift Count, it is our pleasure to Commonwealth Observer Group welcome you to this press conference to report on the official results of the presidential election as announced by INEC. Project 2011 Swift Count is jointly carried out by the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Justice Development and Peace/Caritas (JDPC), the Nigerian Bar Association located in every state and LGA of the country. To ensure the sample (NBA) and Transition Monitoring Group (TMG). Thus reflecting the is representative, it was stratified by state and LGA. This means that rich diversity of Nigeria, it brings together Christians and Muslims, the percentage of sampled polling units in any state or LGA closely as well as organizations with citizen election observation and legal matches the percentage of total polling units in that state or LGA. expertise. For example, according to INEC, Jigawa state has 3,527 of the Project 2011 Swift Count can confidently confirm that the official 119,860 polling units or 2.9% of the total number of polling units results as announced by INEC are consistent with the Swift Count in Nigeria. In the Swift Count presidential sample, Jigawa has 44 estimates, which are based on official results from a representative polling units representing 2.9% of the 1,497 polling units in the random sample of polling units. This clearly demonstrates the re- entire sample. The same logic is applied within states to allocate sults as announced by INEC reflect the votes cast by Nigerians at the sample to each LGA. Within each LGA, polling stations are polling units. selected entirely at random. The result is a national sample that is both representative and unbiased and that includes polling units Project 2011 Swift Count congratulates INEC, the National Youth in every state (and the FCT) and in all 774 LGAs. Attached to this Service Corp (NYSC), political parties, security agencies, civic press statement is the full dis- tribution of the presidential sample organizations and, most importantly, the people of Nigeria on the by state. success of the Presidential elections. This is truly an historic event not only for Nigeria, but all of Africa. As of 4:00 pm on Sunday 17 April, Project 2011 Swift Count had received reports from 1,441 of the 1,497 sampled polling units or Project 2011 Swift Count was undertaken by the partners in 96%. Attached to this press statement is the detailed response rate response to the brazen electoral fraud in the past. Rather than information by state. A total of 471,876 Nigerians cast their ballots giving into this frustration, we have redoubled our efforts and have at these observed polling units. Observer reports have been received adopted a new and advanced approach to citizen observation in from all 36 states and the FCT as well as from 752 of the 774 LGAs. Nigeria, drawing upon the best practices from around the world, but All Swift Count data was checked for inter- nal consistency and to also adapting them to Nigerian ways. This new approach is called confirm its accuracy. In addition, to ensure the highest level of data Swift Count and is designed to help restore electoral accountability quality, two observers were assigned to each sampled polling unit in Nigeria so that everyone’s vote counts. and both were required to send in reports, including the official Swift Count is an advanced observer methodology. It employs results, via coded text message. All Swift Count data is based on the information and com- munication technology (ICT) and statistical official results as announced by polling officials at polling stations. principles to enable observers to provide more representative and The findings of the Swift Count for the Presidential election for accurate information about the electoral process in real time to candidates receiving more than 1% of the vote are: voters, political contestants and INEC. It also permits verification of the official results as announced by INEC. For the presidential election, Project 2011 Swift Count deployed observers to a repre- sentative random sample of 1,497 polling units
138 Forward what they said... flashback
The order and magnitude of the official results for each presidential President must represent all Nigerians –those who supported him candidate is the same as the Swift Count estimate. Attached to this as well as those who voted for other candidates. The partners again press release are Swift Count estimates for all parties. call upon all Nige- rians to remain calm and refrain from any acts of violence. All political leaders should immediately and clearly make Given the absence of widespread deficiencies in the process and statements denouncing all acts of postelection violence re- gardless the independent veri- fication of the official results by nonpartisan of perpetrators. citizen observers, political contestants, their supporters as well as the general public should have confidence in the presidential results State elections will be held on April 26th. Project 2011 Swift Count as declared by INEC as an accurate reflection of how Nigerians will again deploy more than 7,000 stationary observers at polling voted on April 16th . units in every state and every LGA of the country and nearly 1,000 mobile observers. We again call upon INEC to ensure that all INEC has conducted the collation of presidential results in a very accredited observers are able to move freely and to access polling open manner. Offi- cial results by state have immediately been units and collation cen- tres across the country. We will conduct posted on the internet for anyone to see. In or- der to ensure even pilot gubernatorial Swift Counts in six states: Plateau (NC), Borno greater transparency and accountability Project 2011 Swift Count (NE), Kano (NW), Imo (SE), Delta (SS) and Oyo (SW). One state calls upon INEC to also post polling unit level results on its website. was selected per geopolitical zone based on a number of factors To give INEC, political contestants and the public greater confidence including degree of con- testation and concerns over possible in this new methodology Project 2011 Swift Count will also publish postelection violence. This will enable Project 2011 Swift Count to on our website the official results from the individual sampled poll- provide realtime, systematic information on the conduct of these ing units that were used to calculate the Swift Count estimates for elections and to verify the accuracy of official result for select anyone to see. gubernatorial elections as announced by INEC. Nigeria needs to Project 2011 Swift Count now calls upon all political contestants move beyond the politics of winner takes all. and their support- ers to respect the will of the Nigerian people and God Bless Nigeria to accept the results in good faith. We encourage those candidates who lost to concede defeat gracefully and to be mindful that one of the strengths of any democratic system is that there will always For media inquiries please contact: be another elec- tion. To the victorious candidate, we call upon him Muritala AbdulRasheed: Tel. +234 8033231849 Email media@pscnigeria. org Chibuike Mgbeahu- ruike: Tel +234 7036024736 and his supporters to be magnanimous and remember that the Learn more about Project 2011 Swift Count at www.pscnigeria.org
Forward 139 what they said...
140 Forward flashback
Forward 141 EUROPEAN UNION Brussels, 18 April 2011, A 157/11
EUROPEAN UNION
Statement by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, on the presidential election in Nigeria Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, made today the following statement: “I welcome the spirit of calm and restraint that characterized the conduct of the April 16th presidential election in Nigeria which appears to be the most credible election since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999. I also congratulate the Nigerian people for their determination in exercising their right to vote for the democratic future of their country. This election is an important step forward towards consolidating democracy in Nige- ria and should lead to better governance in the interest of the people of Nigeria and the broader region. The European Union commends the continuous efforts of INEC and its Chairman to improve the electoral process. Nigeria can be proud of the dedication and commitment of the National Youth Service Corps. The security agencies also played an important role in ensuring the overall peaceful conduct of the election. However, the EU condemns the attempts made to destabilize the process, and in particu- lar the bomb attacks before and during the election and other violent acts. Any legitimate challenges to the declared election results should be addressed in a timely, transparent and peaceful manner. I urge all stakeholders to exercise restraint in the aftermath of the presi- dential election and to respect the will of the voters. I also urge them to continue working together to ensure credible and peaceful Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elec- tions. I commend the contributions of international and civil society domestic observers. The independent EU Election Observation Mission,
142 Forward what they said... flashback
The European Union Election Observation Mission Federal republic of nigeria general elections 2011
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
Important step towards strengthening european democratic elections, but challenges remain union election Abuja, 18 April 2011 observation The European Union Election Observation mission Mission (EU EOM) is present in Nigeria since 1 March 2011 following an invitation from the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Independent National Electoral Commission the Presi- dential elections. (INEC). The EU EOM is led by Chief Observer, Alojz Peterle, a Member of the European Parliament. It com- prises a Core Team The 2011 Presidential election day showed a generally peaceful of nine analysts based in Abuja, 52 Long-Term Observers (LTO), 60 and orderly process with enthusiastic voters committed to patiently Short-Term Observers (STO) and 15 Locally-recruited Short-Term attend accreditation and voting from the early hours on Saturday 16 observers (LSTO) from the diplomatic missions of the EU Member April. States, and of Norway and Switzerland present in Nigeria. Shortly On election day, violence was not as intense as during previous before the Presidential elections, the EU EOM was joined by a four- elections. The au- thorities were serious in their commitment to member delegation from the European Parliament, led by Mariya minimise the escalation of clashes between political rivals. However, Nedelcheva. The delegation of the European Parliament endorses during the election campaign serious violent confrontations oc- this preliminary statement. In total, for the Presidential elections curred. the EU EOM deployed 141 observers from the 27 EU Member If compared with the National Assembly elections held on 9 April, States, as well as from Norway and Switzerland to all the States the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) managed and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria. The mission will to improve the overall organisation of the polling day, mainly remain in country to observe the Governor- ship and State House of during the accreditation and counting phases. Nevertheless during Assembly elections and post-polling developments. This state- ment voting, inconsistent implementation of procedures and attempts is preliminary. At the time of printing, the collation process and to influence voters were noted. Moreover, the INEC results coming the petitions and appeals phase was still open. A final report with from the States in South-South and South-East show percentages recommendations will be presented to the authorities of Nigeria close to 100 percent. within two months after the departure of the mission from Nigeria. The EU EOM operates autonomously under its specific mandate and The accuracy of the voters‘ register appears to have improved in compliance with the Declaration of Principles for International since the National Assembly elections. Yet problems remain and Election Observers, commemorated at the United Nations in New INEC should continue addressing this issue before the next elections. York in October 2005. The decision of INEC to divide polling units into manageable voting PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS points, with a maximum of 300 voters per unit was to allow for smoother accredita- tion and voting. However, INEC did not manage The appointment of Professor Attahiru Jega as the new to consistently implement this decision. Although in the observed Chairman of the Indepen- dent National Electoral Commission cases, the display of the results at the polling units improved sig- (INEC) improved the confidence of the electorate.T he voters’ nificantly, more efforts are needed for the display of results at ward registration conducted between January and February 2011 further and local government areas (LGA) collation centres. increased this trust in the process. The postponement of the 2 The EU EOM considers that generally the work of the National April’s elections was presented as a means to protect the integrity Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is commendable as they endeavoured to of the process and the conduct on 9 April of the National Assembly perform their duties with courage and to their best capacity. resulted in a boost of public confidence, increasing expectations for
Forward 143 Nigeria’s vibrant and diverse media spectrum offered a pluralistic PRELIMINARY FINDINGS political discourse and an intense pre-election campaign coverage to BACKGROUND the electorate. However, only the per- sons residing in urban zones could become familiar with the political parties and their candidates, The 2011 General Elections of the Federal Republic of Nigeria follow as in these areas access to a wider range of information sources the widely rigged and disputed 2007 elections and are the fourth was available. The broadcast media coverage of the pre-election elections since the country’s return to de- mocracy in 1999. The campaign differed according to the media houses and in general, death of President Umaru Yar’Adua in May 2010 determined the did not comply with the provisions on equal and equitable coverage succession of the Vicepresident Goodluck Jonathan in the same year. of the political parties and candidates, as stipulated in the Electoral In June 2010, President Jonathan appointed Professor Attahiru Act 2010, as amended. Jega as the new Chair- man of Independent National Electoral Women remain under-represented in public and political life. Commission (INEC) for his reputation and com- petency, marking Only one presidential candidate and nine per cent of the candidates a change with the previous INEC Chair. He was designated in for the National Assembly contested in the polls. In general, female recognition of the role he played in the Electoral Reform Committee candidates faced economic and social constraints to be nominated that was established to review the electoral process and the legal by parties. They lacked financial resources to equally compete with framework after the 2007 elections. men. Some female candidates were victims of threats and physical INEC scheduled the 2011 elections for three consecutive weekends violence. in April1. On 2 April, on the National Assembly election day, during Civil Society Organizations (CSO) were engaged in a positive a live broadcast at noon, Prof. Jega informed the public that due dialogue with INEC. They played an important role in promoting an to the late arrival of the result sheets in many parts of the country, orderly electoral process. CSO’s brought to public attention among the National Assembly elections were postponed to 4 April. On 3 other issues, the timely address of logistical challenges, the need for April in another televised speech, Prof. Jega announced that after civic education on voting procedures and the establishment of INEC consultations with the political parties all the elections were shifted Election Day hotlines. by a week from the original schedule: on 9 April the National Assembly, on 16 April the Presidential elections and on 26 April, In general, the legal framework appears to provide a reasonable after Easter holiday the Governorship and State House of Assembly basis for the conduct of democratic elections. The 1999 Constitution, elections. The need to re-print a number of ballot papers was as amended, guarantees fundamental freedoms, while election- announced on 7 April and caused a third postponement for 15 related legislative provisions are generally in line with interna- tional Senato- rial Districts and 48 Federal Constituencies, which are to be standards for election. The channels for addressing election-related held simultaneously with the gubernatorial polls. petitions and appeals also appear to be clear. Nevertheless, the Electoral Act 2010, as amended does not provide for voters to lodge a complaint when an infringement of their electoral rights has LEGAL FRAMEWORK occurred. Nigeria follows the common law legal system and has ratified the Recent amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral Act international instru- ments relevant to the protection of civil and provide for procedures, aiming to increase the internal parties’ political rights related to elections. The legal framework for the 2011 democracy during their primaries. However, fur- ther improvements General Elections appears to provide an adequate basis for the and commensurate political will are required to address remaining conduct of democratic elections in accordance with international challenges, such as the absence of provisions for independent principles. Nevertheless, a number of issues remain to be addressed candidates to run for office. and an exercise of political will by all stakehold- ers is required The judiciary is playing a critical role in the process, being to ensure proper implementation. The legal framework comprises inundated so far with petitions lodged after political parties’ mainly the 1999 Constitution, as amended2, and the 2010 Electoral primaries. Nevertheless, the absence of time limits for the resolution Act, that underwent a series of revisions since its enactment. of electoral disputes by the courts before the election days delayed Among the major improvements of the 1999 Constitution, as legal redress during a time-sensitive period and led to a number of amended, is the regula- tion of the financial and administrative judgement being delivered by the courts only a few days before the independence of INEC from the executive, the establishment polls.
1 On 2 April the elections for the National Assembly (Senate and the House of Representatives), on 9 April the Presidential elections and on 16 April for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections. 2 The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria underwent a series of significant revi- sions, first in July 2010 and again in December 2010, com- ing into force on 10 January 2011.
144 Forward what they said... flashback
of Election Tribunals for each State and for the Federal Capital 2011. A final poll- ing unit list was made public, but a breakdown of Territory (FCT) and shortened deadlines for filing petitions after assigned voters to each unit is still not available. the declaration of results. Regret- tably, the amendments failed to Voting was organised in separate phases throughout the election introduce some of the recommendations suggested by national and days simultaneously around the country: in the morning for the international observers, and by the Electoral Reform Committee, accreditation of registered voters and in the afternoon for voting. such as the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission3. Only accredited voters were allowed to cast a ballot. Existing shortcomings in the legal framework include the INEC Commissioners appointment process and the absence of provisions Adequate, timely training and staffing of polling units was a for independent candidates to run for office, thus restricting the considerable challenge. The training of trainers was conducted in effective rights to stand for elections and limiting the voters’ choice Abuja on 8 and 9 March. Cascade training on State level took of candidates. place between 15 and 25 March, just a week before the initially scheduled elec- tion day. In all, INEC planned to train approximately The Electoral Act 2010, as amended, includes detailed provisions 325,000 polling workers and 1,497 Returning Officers. Similarly for post-election liti- gation and places emphasis on the pre-hearing to the voter registration exercise, polling staff was drawn from of petitions. Under the provisions of the Act, election petitions the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Where the EU EOM can only be filed by candidates and political parties, which partici- observed the train- ing, it considered it to be insufficient and poorly pated in the elections, within 21 days of the declaration of results. conducted, with overcrowded halls and lacking reading material. The deadlines for the dispute-resolution process are significantly Nevertheless, the Mission considers that generally the work of NYSC shortened. Although the new and comprehen- sive Electoral Act is commendable as they endeavoured to perform their duties with 20104 further strengthened the electoral process, some concerns courage and to their best capacity. remain, particularly in regard to not providing for filing of complaints The decision of INEC to divide polling units into manageable voting by voters on breaches of the law during polling and counting, points, with a maximum of 300 voters per unit was to allow for and the absence of time limits for the filing, consideration and smoother accreditation and voting. How- ever, INEC did not manage adjudication of election complaints and appeals prior to polling. to consistently implement this decision. Furthermore, in rela- tion to polling, counting and collation of results the Act is relatively vague, this negatively affecting the transparency The legal requirement to conclude the revision of the register of the electoral process. not later than 30 days be- fore the first elections was not met. The number of omissions on the voters’ register was an indicator that INEC experienced persistent difficulties to timely edit a ELECTION ADMINISTRATION comprehensive list. The number of disenfranchised voters cannot be ascertained at this point. INEC stated that it would endeavour INEC, inaugurated on 30 June 2010, is mandated to conduct to continuously improve on the inclusiveness and accuracy of the elections to the offices of the President, the Governor, to the Senate, register. Varying procedures at polling units in regard to voters the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly of each not found on the register but in possession of a voters’ card were State of the Federation. INEC is a permanent body, composed of observed. In some instances, these voters were al- lowed to cast a twelve Commissioners and headed by a Chairperson who is the ballot, though INEC guidelines clearly state the contrary. Chief Electoral Commissioner. All members are directly appointed Despite repeated public appeals made by INEC’s Chairman asking by the President after consultation with the Council of State and for the engagement of community leaders in preventing underage confirmation by the Senate for a five-year tenure. INEC meetings are voting, the problem persisted both during National Assembly and closed sessions. Quorum requires a third of Commissioners to be Presidential elections. The full extent of this phenomenon, its re- present and decisions are taken by majority. gional or national dimension, cannot be ascertained. Underage The offices in all 36 States and in the FCT, staffed by Resident participation stems from the voter registration exercise. However, the Electoral Commissioners (REC), also appointed by the President, voter identification safeguards, combined with the presiding officers manage State level election administrative duties. Lower level authority to remove any underage voter from the voting unit should organizational structures include 774 LGA offices, further sub- have been a sufficient preventive measure. divided into 8,809 wards, these without permanent INEC structures. The Presidential partial results from all the States and the FCT are Approximately 120,000 polling units were made operational for collated and announced by the Chief Electoral Officer, the INEC’s voting and generally they were the same locations used for the Chairman. A National Collation Cen- tre was established for that voter registration exercise conducted from January to February purpose in Abuja. No definitive time line for the complete an-
3 The Nigerian Bar Association and Human Rights Watch jointly called on the National Assembly on 14 March to pass the Electoral Offences Commission Bill (presented to the National Assembly in April 2009) that would establish the Electoral Offences Commission for investigating and prosecuting electoral offences under the Act, stating that INEC does not have the resources or capacity to prosecute all election-related abuses. 4 The Electoral Act 2006 was amended in August 2010, primarily to reflect the relevant changes to the Constitution and was further amended on 29 December 2010 and on 24 January 2011, in order to accommodate INEC’s request for extension of the timeline for the conduct of the registration and polling.
Forward 145 nouncement of results is provided in the electoral framework, other CAMPAIGN ENVIRONMENT than the provision of issuing a certificate to every winning candidate within seven days of the return of results. Parties in general conducted a campaign at grass-root level and Both for the National Assembly and the Presidential elections, rallies or street parades at State and LGA level. The most active INEC declared that it would investigate instances of reported presidential candidates were the ruling party’s President Goodluck irregularities and disruption of the election pro- cess. It is Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former Head noteworthy that INEC announced its intention to disclose the nature of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Nuhu of the submitted complaints. Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive VOTER REGISTRATION Change (CPC) and the Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau of In accordance with the recommendations of the EU EOM 2007 the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). Final Report and the Electoral Reform Committee’s report, With the growth of Internet accessibility5, the on-line media were INEC considered that a new register was crucial to improve the used as an innovative tool to reach youth electorate. All major confidence of the electorate, despite the very tight schedule. presidential candidates had their Facebook pages and Twitter Approximately 240,000 ad hoc staff were recruited and trained, accounts. Since there are no specific regulations about campaign mostly enrolled from the NYSC. On 2 March INEC released the silence for the online media, mobilisation messages on the web and certified register: 73,528,040 voters. via SMS were sent on election days. Compared to the 2007 voters’ register, the EU EOM noted a Canvassing in Nigeria can be very expensive. The pre-condition for significant increase of registered electors of over 40 per cent in a presidential can- didate is to campaign in all 36 States and in the States such as Adamawa, Yobe, Zamfara, Ni- ger, Nassarawa, FCT. The Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) broadcast paid rallies, Plateau, Lagos and Oyo, and conversely a decrease of voters in the longest one, five hours of live transmission was televised on States as Enugu and Bayelsa. 26 March on the occasion of the final rally of President Jonathan. Multiple registrations were a concern and attempts were made to Posters were mainly visible in urban areas. Mobile phones and remove false and du- plicated names. The de-duplication process pre-paid cards, and gadgets were distributed during rallies. Local reportedly involved matching registration data across LGA’s, States communities were reported to receive from candidates carloads of and Federal level. To this end, INEC declared to have used specific goods, such as oil and rice, water pumps and gifts in general. The software and identified 870,612 duplicates. INEC stated that it Electoral Act 2010, as amended contains detailed provisions for intends to prosecute all double registrants. campaign expenditure. However, INEC admit- ted not to have the Despite good cooperation with INEC, the EU EOM was not granted capacity to enforce the legal provisions. sufficient access to be in the position to assess neither the process of de-duplication nor about how INEC reached the final number Despite the public rejection by the major candidates of the “do or of 73 million registered voters. INEC claimed to post relevant die” election ap- proach, the intense political competition provoked information timely on its website. Nevertheless, a full breakdown of in many instances violent confronta- tions during the election the voters’ register was not made available. campaign. However, during the Presidential election day violence was not as intense as during previous elections. The authorities appeared to be seriously committed to minimise the escalation of clashes between political rivals. At the beginning of March, the majority of the political parties signed the INEC Code of Conduct, which regulates a common agreement among the parties regarding rule of law, campaign issues, election day and post election issues, and party finance.T he Code is not legally binding.
5 According to Internetworldstats, in December 2009, 16 percent of the Nigerians were online.
146 Forward flashback
A few days before the Presidential elections, around 40 parties Party (NTP), nine percent to Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), announced publicly their support for the re-election of President seven to CPC, six percent to the ACN. However, the proportion of Jonathan. One party, the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP) the direct speech in the news on Kapital FM was similar to the one declared its backing to the Presidential ANPP candidate, Ibrahim on NTA: 86 percent was assigned for President Jonathan. Sheka- rau. During the same days, CPC and ACN tried to form a A promising, but deficient initiative to broaden political diversity in coalition in order to secure the votes from the Northern regions, but broadcast media was the presidential and vice-presidential debate the tentative failed. organised by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG)8. However, MEDIA ENVIRONMENT since PDP refused to participate in a similar debate conducted by the privately owned TV station NN24, the candidates from ACN, Though the legal framework generally respects the freedom of CPC and ANPP ignored the NEDG debate. speech, it suffers from in- timidation6 and self-censorship. The While the privately owned broadcasters with nation-wide coverage9 Nigerian Union of Journalists is taking a firm stand on this matter by tend to follow a pattern similar to NTA, in the Northern States of filing petitions7 and raising public awareness. the country there were radio stations favouring opposition. The According to the Electoral Act 2010, media time shall be allocated Kano based, privately owned radio station Freedom Radio al- lotted equally among politi- cal parties and candidates. However, the to Muhammadu Buhari around 80 percent of the direct speech coverage of the candidates differed according to the media houses. given to the presi- dential aspirants during the news. In the South- The state-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) lacked balance West region the privately owned TV station Channels TV was more towards the candidates. Only 21 parties and their representatives balanced: 46 percent of the direct speech in the news was given were mentioned dur- ing the NTA prime time. 80 percent of the to President Jonathan, 18 percent to Muhammadu Buhari and ten coverage allocated to the political actors was devoted to PDP, a five percent to Ibrahim Shekarau. percent to ACN and CPC each, and ANPP gained a three percent. Twelve out of the 20 presidential candidates were mentioned during Print media targeting urban elites offered a profound analysis and the NTA prime time. With regard to direct speech in the NTA news an equitably wide pal- ette of the political discourse. In the last bulletins, 75 percent of it was dedicated to the incumbent President weeks of the campaign, all the major presidential candidates were Jonathan. equitably exposed, although incumbent President received larger Abuja based state-owned radio Kapital FM provided political parties cover- age thanks to institutional activities. with more equi- table coverage in the examined period: 57 percent was devoted to PDP, ten percent to the National Transformation
“Our peoples’ right to choose who governs them is inalien- able.” February 2010”
6 There were reports of twelve cases involving journalists for being assaulted, arrested and questioned by security forces in nine different States. 7 On 28 March 2011 petition was filed to INEC against Osun State REC, who humiliated “Leader- ship” reporter; another petition on 7 April to the Nasarawa State police on the armed attack on a correspondent in Lafia. 8 For presidential and vice-presidential aspirants from PDP, ACN, ANPP, CPC, MPP, SDMP, UNPD and NTP. 9 African Independent Television and radio Ray Power, both owned by DAAR Communications
Forward 147 Paid political advertisement in mass media is permitted by the law. PETITIONS AND ELECTORAL OFFENCES In the print media an awry development was negative campaign advertisements targeting three out of four major presidential The law does not provide specific procedures for the submission and aspirants and their political parties. In the broadcast media, despite adjudication of pe- titions prior to the elections. These are treated the law prohibiting political advertisements beyond 60 seconds, as any other cases in ordinary civil litigation; therefore they were telecasting of much longer political rallies were monitored10. filed with INEC and the Federal, and State High Courts. Following Lack of credible identification of the sponsoring organi- sation, as the conduct of the primaries of the political parties, aggrieved stipulated in the law, has been a common practice. This downscales aspirants filed approximately 375 petitions directly with INEC13 and the political accountability and transparency of the campaign more than 400 others in different courts through- out the country. expenditures, as well as confines INEC’s ability to control compliance The vast majority of the preelection cases concerned allegations of of campaign expenses with the limitations stated in the Elec- toral illegal substitution of aspirants by the parties. INEC is mandated by Act 2010. the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, to monitor political parties to ensure that all their activities are conducted in a democratic manner. VOTER EDUCATION However, with the 2010 amendments, INEC does no longer have the power to disqualify candidates, so the aggrieved parties ultimately INEC carried out a voter education campaign in the print and may seek legal redress at the courts. audio-visual media. Fur- thermore, INEC indicated that direct public outreach activities were decentralised to community level engaging The absence of time limits for the resolution of electoral disputes traditional leaders, religious groups and non-governmental or- by the courts before the election days delayed legal redress during ganisations (NGO). The messages delivered to the public presented a time-sensitive period and made it difficult for INEC to keep pace the voting procedures, discouraged violence and urged people to with the barrage of ex-parte orders14 and judgments to which it go out and vote. INEC broadcasts its public service announcement was a defendant. Overall, the courts functioned in a transparent (PSA) in English and four local languages11. Additionally, some manner and demonstrated a considerable degree of impartiality broadcasters12 took the initiative to produce their own PSA. Voter in upholding the constitutional and legal framework with regard education programmes were also conducted by the Ministry of to elections, issuing a number of judgments in accordance with Information and the National Orientation Agency, as well as local procedures and with a generally sound evidentiary and legal basis. NGO’s.
“Our elections must enjoy the indelible mark of credibility and acceptability both nationally and internationally.” FEb 2010
10 During the time of observation NTA broadcasted six PDP, three ACN, two CPC and one ANNP rally. The longest live transmission of Jonathan final rally lasted five hours and was broadcast on NTA and AIT on 26 March 2011. 11 Pidgin English, Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo. 12 NTA, Freedom Radio and radio Ray Power. 13 The complaints submitted to INEC involved: disqualification, ex-convicts contesting contrary to the law, parties forwarded names of candidates who did not contest any primaries, exclusion of names after winning the primaries, no primaries held yet parties forwarded fictitious names, illegal nullification of primaries’ results, wrongful publication of names, wrongful imposition of names, forced letters of withdrawal. 14 An ex-parte order is an order granted by a court upon the application of one party in an action without notice to the other party.
148 Forward what they said... flashback
So far, the courts have been making commendable efforts to timely ordered that Gubernatorial election must be conducted in the State. adjudicate the volume of petitions filed at the pre-election period. The Court rejected the Governor’s argument that his tenure should Nevertheless, the lack of deadlines for filing, consideration and start counting from 10 January 2011, when he was sworn in after determination of complaints prior to polling trailed the results of the winning the re-run Governorship elections. primaries15, producing a large number of judgments delivered by A controversial case concerned the Akwa Ibom State ACN the courts only a few days before the polls16. The persistent court Governorship candidate, Senator Akpan Udoedehe, who was re- litigation poses a considerable challenge, while the number of still arrested on 31 March immediately after an Abuja Federal High Court pending petitions is negatively contributing to the voters’ awareness granted him bail, following his initial arraignment for treason. On 5 over the electoral contestants. April he was brought before a Magistrates’ Court in Uyo for alleged In a notable case, an Abuja Federal High Court ruled on 3 March, murder and arson even though the Court lacked the jurisdiction on a petition submit- ted by the Labour Party (LP), that Section to hear such case. An Abuja Federal High Court issued on 6 April a 25(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 is illegal and unconstitutional, and mandatory order directing the police to release him uncondi- tionally subsequently nullified the National Assembly’s amendment of the from custody. However, a few hours after the Abuja Federal High Act, which places the Presidential election before the gubernatorial Court granted the order releasing him, the Uyo Chief Magistrates’ elections. The Court ruled that the National Assembly lacks the Court passed a conflicting judgment remanding Udoedehe in prison mandate to determine the order of the elections and that INEC is custody for 14 days; it is notable that the law that empow- ered the only body empowered to schedule the elections in the order the Magistrates’ Court to remand him for 14 days was passed by it deems fit. Subsequently, INEC announced on 18 March that it the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly on 31 March, while the was too late to alter the sequence of the polling. In the run-up to offence he was charged with was alleg- edly committed on 22 the polls, much legal and public attention was drawn to the tenure March, nine days before the new law was passed18. Udoedehe was elongation case of the Governors of five States17, whose tenure, finally released on 8A pril. according to a judgment of an Abuja Federal High Court, only began after they won the run-off in their States, so it should not be terminated in April 2011. INEC appealed on 9 March, request- ing the Court of Appeal to upturn the lower court’s verdict. The appellate court delivered its judgment on 15 April, upholding the lower court’s ruling and dismissing INEC’s appeal on lack of merit. In another judgment also examining tenure elongation, a Federal High Court in Asaba, Delta State, ruled on 15 March that the tenure of the Governor will end on 29 May 2011 and subsequently,
The government and the institutions of government must at all time stand by the people and must at all cost resist the temptation to pervert the will of the people.” April 29, 2010.
15 The Federal High Court in Kogi State ruled on 4 April 2011 for a fresh primary to select the PDP candidate for the West- ern Senatorial District, invalidating the primaries held on 28 January 2011, which produced Senator Adeyemi. The new primary was held only one day before the polls, on 8 April, and Senator Adeyemi won the PDP ticket. 16 For instance, in regards to the National Assembly elections, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, declared on 8 April Alhaji Usman as the PDP candidate for Kogi Central Senatorial District in 9 April’s elections, affirming the decision of an Abuja Federal High Court. In Taraba State, a Federal High Court in Yola affirmed on 1 April, Alil Tutare as the PDP sena- torial candidate for Taraba Central Senatorial District and El-Sudi as the House of Representatives candidate for Gassol constituency in the National Assembly elections. In Sokoto, a Federal High Court declared on 7 April Halima Tukur as the lawful PDP candidate for Yauri/Shanga/Ngaski Federal constituency of Kebbi State in the National Assembly elections. 17 Kogi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Cross Rivers and Bayelsa States.
Forward 149 Following the publicly expressed commitment of INEC’s Chairman HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER ISSUES to the prosecution of electoral offences, two persons found guilty Nigeria has an active civil society, which plays an important role in of multiple registration in Adamawa State were sentenced to monitoring human rights. The enactment of the Amendment Bill imprisonment, while the REC’s in Rivers19 and Bauchi20 States to the National Human Rights Commission Act, which provides for an- nounced that they would prosecute those involved in multiple an independence of this body22, was noted as a significant step registration. From media reports, several arrests took place after the towards strengthening the protection of human rights. However, National Assembly elections for electoral mal- practices in a large respect for fundamental rights still remains insufficient. Several acts number of States21. of political violence and intimidation of can- didates were reported Until 15 April, apparently no petitions contesting the National throughout the electoral period. Instances of disenfranchisement of Assembly Elections were filed with the Election Tribunals; however, voters were also observed, notably omissions in the voters’ register separate complaints alleging serious irregu- larities in Taraba State and lack of provisions enabling polling workers to vote. were submitted to INEC by CPC and ACN, while ACN also filed Despite a general commitment to the principle of non-discrimination complaints with the REC on electoral malpractices, requesting enshrined in the Constitution and various activities to promote invalidation of results in various LGA’s in Benue and Jigawa States, gender equality, women remained under- represented in public and DPP contested the results in two wards in Delta State through a and political life. The National Gender Policy aimed at providing 35 complaint to the REC. percent affirmative action for women for appointive positions has not been implemented In general, female candidates faced economic and social constraints to be nominated by parties. They lacked financial resources to equally compete with men. In the primaries, some women candidates experienced intimidation and pressure to step down in favour of male candidates. Only one presidential candidate and nine per cent of the candidates for the National Assembly contested in the polls. Female candidates were also victims of threats and physical violence. The largest number of violent incidents took place during political campaigns or rallies. The perpetrators were identified as primarily party supporters or agents.
“In the next election, there will be no cheating,” he told a United States delegation led by the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero, at the State House, Abuja in May last year, stressing that, “every vote must count.”
18 The law empowers the governor to detain anybody for up to 14 days, in the first instance. The detention is also renew- able. The House of Assembly passed the bill on 31 March; however the legislators declined to give it retroactive effect till January as requested by the Executive bill. 19 In Rivers State, INEC’s REC stated on 23 March that the 48,000 persons involved in multiple registrations have been blacklisted and will be prosecuted after the elections. 20 The REC of Bauchi State threatened to prosecute more than 7,000 people discovered to have registered twice in the State, saying on 15 March that those involve would be arrested when found and would be made to pay a fine or spend two years in prison, or both. 21 It was reported in the news that several people were arraigned in Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Borno, Benin, Benue, Edo, Enugu, Jigawa Oyo, Ogun and Sokoto States. 22 The National Human Rights Commission (Amended) Bill 2010 was signed by the President Jonathan on 25 February 2011. It provides for inter alia: the independence in the conduct of the affairs of the Commissions, the funds to be direct charged on the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, establishment of the Human Rights Fund, and recognition of an enforcement of the awards and recommendations of the Commission as decisions of the High Court.
150 Forward what they said... flashback
CIVIL SOCIETY AND ELECTION OBSERVATION the accreditation process. In addition to the EU EOM, there were other international observation groups deriving from the African Civil Society Organisations (CSO) were engaged in a positive Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), dialogue with INEC. They played an important role in promoting an the Commonwealth, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the orderly electoral process. CSO’s brought to public attention among International Republican Institute (IRI) and the Organisation of the other issues, the timely address of logistical challenges, the need for Islamic Conference (OIC). civic education on voting procedures and the establishment of INEC Election Day hotlines. ACCREDITATION, VOTING, COUNTING AND Worth mentioning is the Election Situation Room, its main concerns COLLATION being the perfor- mance of the law enforcement agencies and For the Presidential elections, the EU EOM observers visited in total political parties, and the role of the judiciary in the electoral process; 633 polling units in all 36 States and the FCT covering both urban the CSO Working Party Groups, identifying security hotspots ahead and rural areas. The observation indicated that the Presidential of the polls and called on political parties to condemn violence; elections held on 16 April were conducted in a generally calm and the 2011 Swift Count with real-time information on the conduct peaceful atmosphere. Voters demonstrated genuine commitment of the polls; the National Elections Inci- dent Centre (NEIC) with and patience, having to queue throughout the morning accreditation an Internet based map on incidents24. A number of State based process and once again during the afternoon voting. INEC’s and regional CSO’s were noted to observe the electoral process logistical preparations substantially improved since the National throughout the country. The EU EOM regrets that on 16 April several Assembly elections and only a limited number of polling units domestic observers were arrested and the mission encourages the opened late due to a shortage of es- sential material or absence authorities to do everything in order that any similar occurrence is of polling staff. Similarly, the set-up of polling units was gener- ally prevented in the future. improved and positively rated for an efficient flow of voters. Only 14 percent of the observed polling units were split into the so-called By 23 March, INEC published a list of the accredited organisations, voting points, even though the average number of voters in the 313 in total, which intended to observe the elections and the visited polling unit was 860, which is in contradiction to the objec- deadline to submit the individual accreditations was set for two days tives declared by INEC. later. Respecting this tight schedule was a serious challenge and criti- cism was voiced over INEC’s poor capacity to timely organise
23 Preliminary statement of a coalition of civil society in Nigeria with support of UN Women and UNDP/DGD on Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWiP) issued on 1 April. 24 So far the incidents from the registration period are displayed on http://nigeriawatch2011.org/. The 2011 Swift Count and NEIC are National Democratic Institute (NDI) supported projects.
Forward 151 Women were well represented among the polling workers: in total and the official results were posted outside the polling unit in 87 40 percent of the staff and 36 percent of the presiding officers were percent of the cases, which is a remarkable im- provement over female. However, the proportion of women was substantially lower the National Assembly elections (when the procedure had been among collation officers. Party agents were present in 96 percent followed in only 54 percent). Nevertheless, the results forms were and domestic observers in 35 per cent of the sampled Polling Units. packed in tamper-proof envelopes only in two-thirds of the observed polling units. In spite of some procedural deficiencies, counting was The presence of voters on the voters’ register was generally overall evaluated positively in 91 per cent. well checked: their names ticked off in the register and fingers marked. However, in a few polling units, voters were allowed to be Arithmetic errors were noted in 70 percent of the visited ward accredited either without being on the voters’ register or holding collation centres and in 87 percent of the observed LGA collation their vot- ers’ cards. centres. This demonstrated insufficient training of the Collation Officers.T he results were posted outside the ward collation centres While the shift from accreditation to voting was smooth and carried only in 49 percent, which is still a tangible improvement compared out in a timely manner, shortcomings were noted during voting. In to the 9 April elections. However, at the LGA level results were 17 percent of the sampled polling units, attempts to influence voters posted outside only in 35 per cent of the cases. This had a clear were observed; in 26 percent there were instances of interference negative impact on the transparency of the election process. It is by party agents in the process and in 47 percent the secrecy of vote commendable that the final stage of the collation of the Presidential was not respected. General lack of organisation was noticed in results and its announcement was broadcast live on NTA and AIT. 19 percent. These figures indicate deterioration since the National Assembly elections. The share of underage voting re- mained constant in both elections at 12 percent, while in a few cases The EU EOM wishes to express its appreciation to the serious malpractices, such as double voting and ballot snatching authorities of Nigeria. The EU EOM is also grateful to the were observed. EU Delegation in Abuja for their support during the course of the mission. The observed polling units closed on average around 16:00 hours, European Union Election Observation Mission Nigeria 2011 leaving time for the counting to be conducted during daylight. In Rockview Hotel Classic a sixth of the observed polling units, the unused ballots were not Phone +234 (0) 806 165 4200 properly accounted for and their number was not recorded. The www.eueom-nigeria.eu copies of the results were in general distributed to all party agents 
“As regards the elections, we all are happy that despite some setbacks that were witnessed generally, Nigerians are happy that at least, they can decide who will represent them at the National Assembly or who will govern them in the presidential, governorship and state house of assembly elections that are still ahead. That has given us hope. And of course we have even improved.” April 11, 2011.
152 Forward whatwhat they said... flashback
Nigerian Elections Hold The Promise Of Setting New Integrity Standard, Ndi Mission Finds
ABUJA, NIGERIA – Nigeria’s just-completed presidential and National Assembly elec- tions “represent a step forward from seriously flawed National elections of the past” and “hold the promise of Democratic setting a new standard for integrity in Nigeria’s Institute for electoral process,” the National Democratic international Institute (NDI) said here today. affairs Noting the commitment and dedication of Nigerian voters who faced long lines and high temperatures to cast their presidential ballots Observers also applauded the” dedication and neutrality” of polling on April 16, NDI said the polls appear to mark a turning point for station staff, most of whom were National Youth Service Corps Africa’s most populous country. members. “These staff showed initiative and increased confidence in But the Institute also cited a number of important problems that addressing challenges that arose on election day,” NDI said. need to be addressed before the upcoming state elections April 26 “Millions of Nigerian citizens met their civic responsibility with great and in the longer term. The delegation’s report contains both short- enthusiasm and perseverance through their presence in polling and long-term recommendations for improvements. stations across the country on election day,” the report said. “The “Continued vigilance is still needed through the completion of the delegation applauds this dedication and encourages continued 2011 election pro- cess to realize the promise of these polls,” NDI engagement by citizens in upcoming elections and other political said. The Institute cautioned that its find- ings were preliminary, processes.” noting that serious irregularities can emerge later in the process. The leaders of NDI’s observation mission to the presidential election But problems remained, such as overwhelming crowds in some were Joe Clark, former prime minister of Canada; Mahamane places that interfered with voting, intimidation and harassment of Ousmane, former president of Niger and former president of the some domestic election observers, and a cumbersome, multi-tiered ECOWAS Parliament; Robin Carnahan, secretary of state of Missouri process for collating election returns. “The responsibility to combat (USA); and Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior associate and negative practices, such as vote buying, electoral malfeasance, regional director for Central and West Africa. intimidation and violence, rests not only with INEC, but with all They headed a delegation of 30 observers from 14 countries who sectors of Nigerian society,” the statement said. were deployed in all six of Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to observe The delegation noted that INEC acted swiftly in the week between the presidential voting. NDI fielded a larger observation mission the April 9 and April 16 elections to address shortcomings in the for National Assembly elections on April 9. That delegation issued electoral process, and it recommended that the following actions be a preliminary statement April 11 that said those polls provided a taken by INEC, political parties and security services before Nigerians real opportunity for citi- zens to exercise their right to vote while next go to the polls April 26 to elect governors and members of pointing out substantial problems. state assem- blies: For the presidential election, NDI specifically singled out the Splitallpollingplaceswithover500votersintosub- “effective and committed leadership” of the Independent National unitstoimproveefficiencyand access to the process; Electoral Commission (INEC), which it said was a key factor in the improvement over previous polls. “The delegation commends efforts Standardize implementation of procedures in all states and local by INEC staff at all levels to improve transparency and credibility,” government areas; the statement said. It also recognized the actions of political parties Ensure security, sufficient staff and adequate facilities for and their supporters, security forc- es, citizen election observers collation centers; and other civil society organizations, and voters themselves that Follow through and prosecute electoral offenders; contributed to the integrity of the two April polls. Respond to increasing needs for better crowd control in ways
Forward 153 that neither intimidate voters nor compromise the secrecy of their NDI’s mission also builds on a pre-election assessment that NDI ballots in cooperation with polling station staff; conducted in October. The Institute’s election observation mission in Nigeria is funded through a grant from the U.S. Agency for Protect the rights of INEC-accredited citizen observers, including International Development (USAID). their right to NDI has been working in Nigeria since 1999 and has fielded move freely on election day and to access all aspects of the process; international observa- tion missions to previous elections there Rigorously follow and abide by provisions of the Code of Conduct in 1999, 2003 and 2007. The Institute also is conducting other prohibiting acts election support activities with the support of USAID and the United Kingdom Department for International Development. These include of violence, intimidation of voters and other violations of the a program to help Nigerian civic groups train and deploy thousands Electoral Act; of domestic election observers. This effort includes Project 2011 Refrain from extrajudicial and violent rejection of election results Swift Count, an initiative in which observers conducted a parallel and use peaceful, vote tabulation (PVT). legal means to resolve electoral disputes; and The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan nongovernmental orga- nization working to support and strengthen Submit names of agents assigned to represent parties at each democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, polling unit. openness and accountability in government. More information is available at www.ndi.org.
“Neither our ambition nor that of any other aspirant is worth your blood. Therefore, say no to violence. You must vote and protect your vote. You don’t have to kill to protect your vote; all you need to do is follow INEC guidelines, vote and wait at the polling station for the votes to be counted and the results declared in the presence of your agents.” March 7, 2011; Uyo.
154 Forward what they said... flashback
Statement Of The National Democratic Institute’s International Election Observer Mission To Nigeria’s April 16 Presidential Election Abuja, April 18, 2011
This preliminary statement is offered by the National Democratic Institute‘s (NDI) election observer delegation to Nigeria‘s April 16, National 2011, presidential election. The 30- member Democratic delegation from 14 countries was co-led by: Institute for Joe Clark, former prime minister of Canada; international Mahamane Ousmane, former president of Niger affairs and former speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament; Robin Carnahan, secretary of state of Missouri (USA); and Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior and recognizes that it is the Nigerian people who will ultimately associate and regional director for Central and West Africa. determine the credibility and legitimacy of their elections. Through this delegation, NDI seeks to express the international I. KEY FINDINGS community‘s in- terest in – and support for – a democratic electoral process in Nigeria, to provide an ac- curate and impartial report As was the case with the National Assembly elections, this on the character of the election process to date and to offer presidential poll represents a step forward from seriously flawed recommendations to improve future electoral processes. elections in the past. Nigerian citizens demonstrated commitment and dedication as they turned out to vote in elections that hold the The delegation arrived in Nigeria on April 4, prior to the National promise of setting a new standard for integrity in Nigeria‘s electoral Assembly elections, and remained in country until April 18. As process. The presidential election was the second in a series that part of NDI‘s comprehensive election obser- vation mission, the appears to mark a turning point for Africa‘s most populous country. delegation builds upon the findings of NDI‘s pre-election delegation conducted in October of 2010, and the reports of 12 NDI long- At the same time, the April 16 poll, like those on April 9, revealed term observers, who, since January, have witnessed pre-election important problems that need to be addressed before the upcoming preparations, including voter registration and the campaign period. state elections and in the longer term. Continued vigilance is still Members of the delegation also observed the April 9 National needed through the completion of the 2011 election process to Assembly elections and concluded, in an April 11 statement, realize the promise of these polls. that despite a number of significant problems, those elections Effective and committed leadership at the Independent National represented a break from Nigeria‘s electoral past and provided a Electoral Commission (INEC) is a key factor in the improvement real opportunity for citizens to exercise their right to vote. During over previous polls. However, democratic elections are not simply the presidential election, delegates observed over 153 polling units a technical exercise and their success does not rest with the elec- in 61 local government areas (LGAs) across 11 states in all six toral authority alone. While the election commission is charged with geopolitical zones and in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). providing an effec- tive and neutral setting for voting, the actions The delegation conducted its activities in accordance with Nigerian of political parties and their supporters, security forces, citizen law and the Declaration of Principles for International Election election observers and other civil society organizations and voters Observation. themselves significantly impact the integrity of the electoral process. The delegation would like to stress that it does not intend to render Each of these actors contributed to the improvements of the April 9 a final judgment on theA pril 16 presidential election at this time and 16 polls, while each faces challenges to maintaining electoral and that this statement is preliminary in nature. The tabulation and integrity. announcement of final results, as well as acceptance of results by Millions of Nigerian citizens met their civic responsibility with great candidates, have not been completed. As this has been a phase enthusiasm and perseverance through their presence in polling of the process during which serious irregularities have emerged in stations across the country on election day. The delegation applauds the past, the delegation urges candidates and their supporters to this dedication and encourages continued engagement by citizens utilize peaceful, legal means to resolve election-related complaints. and their organizations in upcoming elections and other political The Institute does not seek to interfere in the electoral process
Forward 155 processes. We encourage parties and their supporters to abide sites, some domestic observers faced intimidation and harassment. by the provisions of the Code of Con- duct they signed to foster There were credible reports of observers kidnapped by thugs‘ and Nigeria‘s efforts to deepen and strengthen its democracy. The detained by security forces. In Asaba, Delta state, six domestic responsibility to combat negative practices, such as vote buying, observers and one NDI international advisor were held overnight at electoral malfeasance, intimidation and violence, rests not only with a police station with- out charge. INEC, but with all sectors of Nigerian society. On election day, two separate explosions struck Borno state. Two The delegation recognizes the innovative and cost-effective use bombings occurred in Kaduna and a shooting in Jos left one person of new media in these elections by INEC, political parties, security dead. Tensions between party supporters led to serious incidents forces, citizen observers and voters them- selves. Websites, social of violence after the close of the polls. Mob violence broke out in networking, SMS messaging and other technology tools aided in a number of states where party supporters damaged property and the collection, analysis and dissemination of information about the physically harmed and killed members of opposing parties or INEC election process. officials.T he delegation notes with grave concern multiple incidents of violence in the post-election period that have resulted in loss of The delegation commends efforts by INEC staff at all levels to life and destruction of property. improve transparen- cy and credibility. In the very short time after the April 9 National Assembly elections, INEC: Short-Term Recommendations Improved considerably on the distribution of polling materials In preparation for the April 26 elections, the delegation recommends and registered fewer incidents of delayed materials; the follow ac- tions: Re-trained polling station staff on voting procedures, including Split all polling places with over 500 voters into sub-units to measures to increase ballot secrecy and post polling station results; improve efficiency and access to the process; and Standardize implementation of procedures in all states and local Made efforts to amend the voter register to include voters who government areas; had been wrongly excluded before. Ensure security, sufficient staff and adequate facilities for Observers applauded the dedication and neutrality of polling station collation centers; and staff, most of whom were National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Follow through in prosecuting electoral offenders. members. These staff showed initia- tive and increased confidence in addressing challenges that arose on election day. Recognizing the collaborative role that security officials have played in the improved electoral environ- ment thus The delegation also acknowledges the role of security services, far, the delegation recommends that security services: which in the majority of polling stations observed played a positive, low-profile and professional role. Respond to increasing needs for better crowd control in ways that neither intimidate voters nor compromise the secrecy of their Obviously in a country so complex, problems remain. Overwhelming ballots, in cooperation with polling station staff; and crowds influ- enced some polling officials to relax procedures intended to safeguard the voting process, and the crush of people Protect the rights of INEC-accredited citizen observers, including may have prevented some eligible voters from participating in the their right to move freely on election day and to access all aspects of election. While INEC instructed presiding officers to assign no more the process. than 300 voters to a polling site, NDI observers visited locations that As the aggregators of citizen interests and opinions, political parties had over 1,000 registered voters. Ob- servers visited two polling play an important role in consolidating democratic practices. Given sites in Nassarawa state with over 3,800 and 6,000 registered heightened competition for elective office at the state level, the voters, respectively. In addition, observers heard reports of wide delegation recommends that political parties: state-by-state variance in the number of invalidated ballots that, if true, is an area of concern. Rigorously follow and abide by provisions of the Code of Conduct prohibiting acts of violence, intimidation of voters and other The delegation noted the complicated and multi-tiered collation violations of the Electoral Act; process that is vulner- able both to human error and malfeasance as tabulation proceeds from the polling unit to INEC headquarters. Refrain from extrajudicial and violent rejection of election results Despite efforts in this election to fast-track election returns, this and use peaceful, legal means to resolve electoral disputes; and process created added work for INEC officials and observers. Submit names of agents assigned to represent parties at each Though international observers were received warmly at polling polling unit.
156 Forward flashback
I. ELECTION DAY OBSERVATIONS and adequately staffed, others lacked basic necessities including sufficient space and electricity. In some locations, observers Election Administration witnessed large crowds – mostly comprising male youths – that The delegation noted higher voter turnout than for the National were unruly and sometimes violent, threatening the quality of the Assembly elections in polling sites observed, and was impressed process. by the dedication and neutrality of polling sta- tion staff, primarily Political Parties and their Agents comprising NYSC members. Election officials showed initiative and exhibited increased confidence in addressing challenges that arose Observers saw a number of party agents on election day and, on election day. despite isolated incidents of undue voter influence, most contributed Essential materials, including ballots and results sheets, were present positively to the process by cooperating with polling station staff in all polling sta- tions observed, and most stations opened on and security officials to maintain order in polling stations. Despite time. The impact of refresher trainings quickly ordered by INEC was requests by INEC, most political parties did not provide the names apparent—with many polling staff, for example, making renewed of those agents who would represent that party at specific polling efforts to post polling station-level results. units on election day, limiting the ability of polling staff to enforce order in the station and increasing the likelihood of impersonation In response to voter register omissions that emerged during the of party agents by those wishing to disrupt the process. April 9 elections, INEC took positive steps to enfranchise more eligible voters, by providing updated voter regis- ters or, in a few Citizen Election Observation cases, addenda to polling staff. The delegation notes the diligent efforts of tens of thousands The delegation noted a lack of uniformity among different states nonpartisan citizen elec- tion observers, including the systematic and localities in im- plementing INEC directives issued just days observation activities of Project 2011 Swift Count, present on before the election, as well as an inconsistent application of election day. It is troubling that a number of accredited citizen prescribed procedures, especially regarding changes to the voter observers were intimidated and harassed. Some were prevented register. from completing their duties when they were not allowed to enter polling locations or to travel between polling sites. A number of Secrecy of the ballot continued to be a problem in many sites, where observers were reportedly kidnapped by thugs and detained by poor station set-up, lack of privacy screens or improper instructions police. In Asaba, Delta state, six domestic observers and one NDI to voters on folding ballots was observed. In one extreme case international advisor were held overnight at a police station. The witnessed by delegates, voters were displaying their ballots to party delegation strongly condemns the restriction of observers‘ rights agents before placing them in the ballot box. and all threats to their safety and freedom, whether by criminals or Overcrowding was observed in many stations, creating a challenge officials. for polling staff and security officials alike.A lthough INEC increased Security Officials the number of staff in some stations, most units observed did not have sufficient staff or equipment to create or efficiently Security forces deployed to polling stations throughout the country manage polling sub-units, even though some polling stations were to maintain order in polling stations and prevent incidents of assigned thousands of voters. While most polling staff and officials violence throughout election day. While the delegation found them employed cooperative and creative measures to ensure order to be present in most stations, their numbers in some stations within stations observed by NDI, some were unable to maintain were insufficient – particularly in rural areas. Most security officials sufficient organization of the process. In these problematic stations, demonstrated restraint and professionalism, although the delegation procedures developed by INEC to prevent fraud, including distinct heard isolated but concerning reports of mistreatment and accreditation and voting periods and double inking, were set aside – unnecessary use of force. often at the request of voters – to expedite the congested process. Electoral Violence Delegates in some locations witnessed serious incidents including On election day, two separate explosions struck Borno state; there underage voting, campaigning, intimidation and indications of vote were also two bomb- ings in Kaduna and a shooting in Jos that buying. While these incidents were limited and most polling station left at least one person dead. Tensions between party supporters officials attempted to mitigate them, observers noted that the local led to serious incidents of violence after the close of the polls. Mob voting communities in some areas encouraged these violations. violence broke out in a number of states and resulted in at least 12 While some collation centers were well organized, transparent deaths, many injured and destroyed or damaged property.
Forward 157 II. THE ELECTORAL CONTEXT were organized for presidential candidates, but none involved all candidates. President Jonathan did not attend the first, and Since Nigeria‘s return to civilian rule in 1999, the country has opposition parties refused to attend the second. struggled to hold credible democratic elections. The 2007 elections were especially flawed, prompting over 1200 petitions that The National Assembly Elections ultimately led to the overturning of several gubernatorial and The National Assembly elections, held on April 9, marked a break legislative races by the courts. from the failed elec- tions of Nigeria‘s past. Citizen awareness, Soon after assuming office in May 2010, President Goodluck increased confidence in electoral authorities and engagement by Jonathan appointed Pro- fessor Attahiru Jega – a widely respected parties and civil society contributed to a more credible election member of civil society – as INEC chairman. In planning for the April pro- cess. However, shortcomings included logistical problems, 2011 elections, INEC reintroduced the modified open secret ballot, uneven performance by poll workers and violence in some places or accreditation voting, a system that requires voters to remain at of the country on election day. Following the April 9 polls, INEC polling units for long periods of time. Many Nigerians believe that reported over 100 arrests of individuals – including potential voters this vote and wait effort limits fraud and the manipulation of results. and security personnel, election and government officials – for offenses ranging from electoral violence and voter intimidation, Although 20 individuals declared candidacies for president, only to vote-buying and diversion of sensitive election materi- als. The four candidates had national name recognition: Nuhu Ribadu of the commission also confirmed 39 deaths immediately related to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mal- lam Ibrahim Shekarau of election day. This included the bombing of INEC‘s state office in the All Nigeria People‘s Party (ANPP), Muhammadu Buhari of the Suleja where 16 individuals, including INEC staff, were killed. Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and President Jonathan for the People‘s Democratic Party (PDP). In the week of the election, Technology and New Media six of the 20 presidential candidates withdrew from the race and As statistics confirmed that the number of Nigerians utilizing the invited their supporters to vote for President Jonathan. A seventh internet substantially increased since 2007, parties, civil society, left the race in favor of Gov. Shekarau. Since the official deadline for INEC and other government bodies utilized technology and new candidate withdrawal expired in February, all parties remained on media to reach citizens, spread messages and gather information. the ballot. Political parties used websites, social networking and SMS Legal Framework messaging to share informa- tion about their platforms and to organize their supporters. Citizen election monitors or- ganized While a number of positive legal reforms were passed in the lead up incident reporting and mapping to encourage citizens to share their to the April 2011 elections, the late timeline for their adoption led to experiences through online submissions and SMS messaging. INEC confusion among political parties, election observers and the public. and security officials set up SMS hotlines to collect information and At one point, multiple versions of the law were in circulation. It took coordinate responses to incidents on election day. the intervention of the Nigeria‘s Attorney General in March 2011 to confirm the final version. Security Preparations Voter Registration Between the National Assembly and presidential elections, INEC and the security ser- vices worked to further harmonize their respective In early 2011, INEC conducted an electronic voter registration responsibilities and mitigate violence in the election process. At exercise in an attempt to replace the widely discredited list from the national, state and local levels, election and security offi- cials 2007. Problems in the process led to incomplete or inaccurate coordinated efforts. They also shared information openly with parties registrations of many voters, a number of whom were asked to and observers on steps taken to guarantee peaceful and credible re-register. Few citizens were able to verify they were registered, as elections. Civil society organizations conducted civic education procedures for review were not uniformly followed. INEC removed programs aimed at raising the awareness of politicians and citizens more than 870,000 duplicate entries, leaving 73.5 million voters on in general on the need for peaceful and credible elections. the list. On April 9, many eligible voters were turned away because their names were not on the register. Before the April 16 polls, INEC Election-Related Violence worked to update voter registers or create addenda of eligible voters Over 135 deaths have been attributed to politically-motivated omitted from the list. violence with several hundred others injured during the primaries, The Campaign campaign and election period. Through the election period, NDI received reports of intimidation of candidates and their supporters, Many presidential campaigns made a special effort to garner open brawls between supporters of different parties and candidates, grassroots support, con- ducting door-to-door outreach and working kidnappings of candidates and their family members, shootings, with women‘s and other community groups. Two televised debates assassination of candidates and bombings of innocent civilians.
158 Forward flashback
III. LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS Develop comprehensive and consistent training programs for permanent and ad hoc INEC staff at all levels; In light of the steps Nigeria has already taken to embrace electoral reform and in the spirit of international cooperation, the delegation Review performance during the 2011 elections to consolidate proposes additional recommendations to help strengthen the best practices; electoral framework in the medium to long term. The effective Address weaknesses in the voter register and adopt procedures implementation of these recommendations requires a strong for continuous voter registration as stipulated by the Electoral Act; commitment by the gov- ernment and INEC, with support from civil society and political parties. An important guide to improving Design a clear, effective and timely accreditation process to the process would be the Uwais Report,prepared by the Electoral encourage the continued engagement of civil society and the Reform Committee, chaired by former Chief Justice Mohammadu international community in observing elections; Uwais. The govern- ment, INEC, parties, civil society and others Take longer-term action to plan for an equitable allocation of should continue to advance the reforms recommended by the polling units based on voter registration figures, as the Electoral Act Committee. and Constitution provide; For the Government: Develop voting mechanisms that will reduce the incidence of Finalize the legal framework at least six months before the invalidated ballots; election, as stipulated by Article 2.1 of the ECOWAS Protocol for and Democracy and Good Governance; Build institutional expertise by incorporating now-experienced Establish an Electoral Offenses Commission and clear guidelines NYSC ad hoc poll for the manage- ment of electoral complaints and litigation; workers as future trainers and INEC staff. Create a Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission so that INEC can focus on election administration and avoid For political parties: potential contention with political parties; Adopt transparent candidate selection, campaign and party Strengthen INEC‘s authority over state-level Resident Electoral finance processes in compliance with the 2010 Electoral Act; Commissioners; Participate actively in the Inter Party Advisory Committee to Consider ways to enfranchise Nigerians who work on election promote dialogue and adherence to the Code of Conduct; and day – including poll station staff, security officials, party agents, and Support and promote female participation in party leadership at citizen observers – as well as other national and state levels, during the candidate selection process and citizens unable to participate due to immobility; as candidates. Create a Constituency Delimitation Commission with direct For Civil Society: responsibility for reallocating wards and registration areas based on Build on the accomplishments of the 2011 elections to population changes; and strengthen involvement in the political process; Consider reforms to strengthen and enforce comprehensive Continue to advocate for electoral reforms; and political party finance laws. Enhance collaboration and cooperation on citizen participation in For INEC: elections.
“Our elections must enjoy the indelible mark of credibility and acceptability both nationally and internationally.” February, 2010.
Forward 159 IV. ABOUT THE MISSION NDI conducts its election observation in accordance with the Declaration of Prin- ciples for International Election Observation, An accurate and complete assessment of any election must take into which is endorsed by 36 intergovernmen- tal and non-governmental account all aspects of the process, and no election can be viewed in organizations. These include the United Nations Secretariat, the isolation from the political context in which it takes place. Among African Union, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Southern African the factors that must be considered are: the legal framework for Development Community Parliamentary Forum, the Francophonie, the elections set by the constitution, electoral and related laws; Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the the ability of citizens to seek and receive sufficient and accurate European Union, the International Republican Institute and NDI. information upon which to make political choic- es; the ability of political competitors to organize and reach out to citizens in order NDI has organized more than 150 delegations to assess pre- to win their support; the conduct of the mass media in providing election, election-day and post-election processes around the globe coverage of parties, candidates and issues; the freedom that citizens in every region in the world. NDI has observed elections in Nigeria in and political competitors have to engage in the po- litical and 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2007. electoral process without fear of intimidation, violence or retribution The delegation is grateful for the welcome and cooperation it for their choices; the conduct of the voter registration process received from voters, election officials, candidates, domestic election and integrity of the voter register; the voting, counting, results observers and civic activists. NDI has been officially accredited to tabulation, transmission and announcement processes; and the conduct an international election observation mission by INEC. handling of election complaints and installation to office of those duly elected. NDI‘s international election observation mission in Nigeria is funded by a grant from the United States Agency for International NDI fielded a 50-member delegation to theA pril 9 polls that Development. included all of the pres- ent delegation members except one, and issued an April 11 statement that can be found at www.ndi. org. NDI‘s long-term observers will remain in Nigeria to observe upcoming gubernatorial, state assembly and delayed legislative elections. The Institute will continue to monitor the electoral process and issue reports at appropriate times.
“In the next election, there will be no cheating,” he told a United States delegation led by the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero, at the State House, Abuja in May last year, stressing that, “every vote must count.”
160 Forward flashback
Statement by the President Barack Obama on Nigeria’s Elections May 4, 2011
This preliminary statement is offered by the National Democratic Institute‘s (NDI) election observer delegation to Nigeria‘s April 16, United states diplomatic mission 2011, presidential election. The 30- member delegation from 14 countries was co-led by: to nigeria, public Joe Clark, former prime minister of Canada; affairs section Mahamane Ousmane, former president of Niger and former speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament; Robin Carnahan, secretary of state of Missouri (USA); and Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior I. KEY FINDINGS associate and regional director for Central and West Africa. Through this delegation, NDI seeks to express the international As was the case with the National Assembly elections, this community‘s in- terest in – and support for – a democratic electoral presidential poll represents a step forward from seriously flawed process in Nigeria, to provide an ac- curate and impartial report elections in the past. Nigerian citizens demonstrated commitment on the character of the election process to date and to offer and dedication as they turned out to vote in elections that hold the recommendations to improve future electoral processes. promise of setting a new standard for integrity in Nigeria‘s electoral process. The presidential election was the second in a series that The delegation arrived in Nigeria on April 4, prior to the National appears to mark a turning point for Africa‘s most populous country. Assembly elections, and remained in country until April 18. As part of NDI‘s comprehensive election obser- vation mission, the At the same time, the April 16 poll, like those on April 9, revealed delegation builds upon the findings of NDI‘s pre-election delegation important problems that need to be addressed before the upcoming conducted in October of 2010, and the reports of 12 NDI long- state elections and in the longer term. Continued vigilance is still term observers, who, since January, have witnessed pre-election needed through the completion of the 2011 election process to preparations, including voter registration and the campaign period. realize the promise of these polls. Members of the delegation also observed the April 9 National Effective and committed leadership at the Independent National Assembly elections and concluded, in an April 11 statement, Electoral Commission (INEC) is a key factor in the improvement that despite a number of significant problems, those elections over previous polls. However, democratic elections are not simply represented a break from Nigeria‘s electoral past and provided a a technical exercise and their success does not rest with the elec- real opportunity for citizens to exercise their right to vote. During toral authority alone. While the election commission is charged with the presidential election, delegates observed over 153 polling units providing an effec- tive and neutral setting for voting, the actions in 61 local government areas (LGAs) across 11 states in all six of political parties and their supporters, security forces, citizen geopolitical zones and in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). election observers and other civil society organizations and voters The delegation conducted its activities in accordance with Nigerian themselves significantly impact the integrity of the electoral process. law and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Each of these actors contributed to the improvements of the April 9 Observation. and 16 polls, while each faces challenges to maintaining electoral The delegation would like to stress that it does not intend to render integrity. a final judgment on theA pril 16 presidential election at this time Millions of Nigerian citizens met their civic responsibility with great and that this statement is preliminary in nature. The tabulation and enthusiasm and perseverance through their presence in polling announcement of final results, as well as acceptance of results by stations across the country on election day. The delegation applauds candidates, have not been completed. As this has been a phase this dedication and encourages continued engagement by citizens of the process during which serious irregularities have emerged in and their organizations in upcoming elections and other political the past, the delegation urges candidates and their supporters to utilize peaceful, legal means to resolve election-related complaints. The Institute does not seek to interfere in the electoral process and recognizes that it is the Nigerian people who will ultimately determine the credibility and legitimacy of their elections.
Forward 161 TOP 3 Candidates during 2011 Elections
President Goodluck Jonathan won in 2011 thanks to voters turnout.
% of RIBADU PDP BUHARI margin
JONATHAN
ANPP % of Total number of PDP voters turnout margin
Lowest percentage of voters that voted PDP in Bauchi
TOP 3: Total number of voters Total number of oppositions votes - less than PDP votes pdp
CPC
ACN
73,528,040 Percentage of TOP 5: States with highest registered voters registered for the elections voters turnout 6,108,069 during the 2011 % = Turnout 31.84% elections.
5,027,297 53.17% 3,905,387 65.81% 3,126,898 52.43% 2,523,614 63.80% 73,528,040 Total number of registered voters in 2011 elections.
infograph by sunny hughes ‘sunza’ L agos K ano K atsina K aduna Bauchi 162 Forward what they said...
Reg. Voter PDP CPC ACN S/N STATE PDP ACN CPC ANPP Others TOTAL Voters Turnout Margin Margin Margin
1 ABIA 1,175,984 4,392 3,743 1,455 2,759 1,188,333 1,524,484 77.95% 98.96% 0.31% 0.37%
2 ADAMAWA 508,314 32,786 344,526 2,706 19,374 907,706 1,816,094 49.98% 56.00% 37.96% 3.61%
3 AKWA IBOM 1,165,629 54,148 5,348 2,000 5,270 1,232,395 1,616,873 76.22% 94.58% 0.43% 4.39%
4 ANAMBRA 1,145,169 3,437 4,223 975 3,435 1,157,239 2,011,746 57.52% 98.96% 0.36% 0.30%
5 BAUCHI 258,404 16,674 1,315,209 8,777 11,030 1,610,094 2,523,614 63.80% 16.05% 81.69% 1.04%
6 BAYELSA 504,811 370 691 136 685 506,693 591,870 85.61% 99.63% 0.14% 0.07%
7 BENUE 694,776 223,007 109,680 8,592 11,654 1,047,709 2,390,884 43.82% 66.31% 10.47% 21.29%
8 BORNO 207,075 7,533 909,763 37,279 15,996 1,177,646 2,380,957 49.46% 17.58% 77.25% 0.64%
9 CROSS RIVER 709,382 5,889 4,002 2,521 4,547 726,341 1,148,486 63.24% 97.67% 0.55% 0.81%
10 DELTA 1,378,851 1,310 8,960 2,746 6,712 1,398,579 2,032,191 68.82% 98.59% 0.64% 0.09%
11 EBONYI 480,592 1,112 1,025 14,296 5,865 502,890 1,050,534 47.87% 95.57% 0.20% 0.22%
12 EDO 542,173 54,242 17,795 2,174 4,808 621,192 1,655,776 37.52% 87.28% 2.86% 8.73%
13 EKITI 135,009 116,981 2,689 1,482 5,697 261,858 764,726 34.24% 51.56% 1.03% 44.67%
14 ENUGU 802,144 1,755 3,753 1,111 5,246 814,009 1,303,155 62.46% 98.54% 0.46% 0.22%
15 FCT 253,444 2,327 131,576 3,170 7,577 398,094 943,473 42.19% 63.66% 33.05% 0.58%
16 GOMBE 290,347 3,420 459,898 5,693 10,661 770,019 1,318,377 58.41% 37.71% 59.73% 0.44%
17 IMO 1,381,357 14,821 7,591 2,520 3,561 1,409,850 1,687,293 83.56% 97.98% 0.54% 1.05%
18 JIGAWA 419,252 17,355 663,994 7,673 32,492 1,140,766 2,013,974 56.64% 36.75% 58.21% 1.52%
19 KADUNA 1,190,179 11,278 1,334,244 17,301 16,961 2,569,963 3,905,387 65.81% 46.31% 51.92% 0.44%
20 KANO 440,666 42,353 1,624,543 526,310 39,356 2,673,228 5,027,297 53.17% 16.48% 60.77% 1.58%
21 KATSINA 428,392 10,945 1,163,919 6,342 29,934 1,639,532 3,126,898 52.43% 26.13% 70.99% 0.67%
22 KEBBI 369,198 26,171 501,453 3,298 23,979 924,099 1,638,308 56.41% 39.95% 54.26% 2.83%
23 KOGI 399,816 6,516 132,201 16,491 6,758 561,782 1,316,849 42.66% 71.17% 23.53% 1.16%
24 KWARA 268,243 52,432 83,603 1,672 8,804 414,754 1,152,361 35.99% 64.68% 20.16% 12.64%
25 LAGOS 1,281,688 427,203 189,983 8,941 37,229 1,945,044 6,108,069 31.84% 65.90% 9.77% 21.96%
26 NASSARAWA 408,997 1,204 278,390 1,047 4,889 694,527 1,389,308 49.99% 58.89% 40.08% 0.17%
27 NIGER 321,429 13,344 652,574 7,138 24,682 1,019,167 2,175,421 46.85% 31.54% 64.03% 1.31%
28 OGUN 309,177 199,555 17,654 2,969 14,360 543,715 1,941,170 28.01% 56.86% 3.25% 36.70%
29 ONDO 387,376 74,253 11,890 6,741 6,577 486,837 1,616,091 30.12% 79.57% 2.44% 15.25%
30 OSUN 188,409 299,711 6,997 3,617 13,980 512,714 1,293,967 39.62% 36.75% 1.36% 58.46%
31 OYO 484,758 252,240 92,396 7,156 26,994 863,544 2,572,140 33.57% 56.14% 10.70% 29.21%
32 PLATEAU 1,029,865 10,181 356,551 5,235 9,285 1,411,117 2,259,194 62.46% 72.98% 25.27% 0.72%
33 RIVERS 1,817,762 16,382 13,182 1,449 5,341 1,854,116 2,429,231 76.33% 98.04% 0.71% 0.88%
34 SOKOTO 309,057 20,144 540,769 5,063 34,775 909,808 2,267,509 40.12% 33.97% 59.44% 2.21%
35 TARABA 451,354 17,791 257,986 1,203 10,731 739,065 1,336,221 55.31% 61.07% 34.91% 2.41%
36 YOBE 117,128 6,069 337,537 143,179 18,202 622,115 1,373,796 45.28% 18.83% 54.26% 0.98%
37 ZAMFARA 238,980 17,970 624,515 46,554 14,660 942,679 1,824,316 51.67% 25.35% 66.25% 1.91%
TOTAL 22,495,187 2,067,301 12,214,853 917,012 504,866 38,199,219 73,528,040 51.95%
58.89% 5.41% 31.98% 2.40% 1.32%
Forward 163 press reports
164 Forward what they said...
Forward 165 Jonathan Poised for “It appears to be going Victory Over Buhari in quite smoothly” Nigerian Presidential http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html Election http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-18/nigeria-s-jonathan- meets-the-requirements-for-president-elect-after-vote.html
A watershed presidential election in one of America’s top oil suppliers, Nigeria, unfolded peacefully on Saturday, a first for a country with a history of rigged and violent votes in the 12 years since the end of military rule. Incumbent Goodluck Jonathan may be formally declared the Nigerians have never voted before in such favorable conditions, winner of Nigeria’s presi- dential election after winning almost analysts and election monitors said: ballot materials appear to twice as many votes as his closest rival, while opposi- tion have arrived on time, there were few reports of violence and the protests spread in six northern cities. registration process before the voting appeared to have gone With results for all 36 states released, Jonathan won 22.5 million smoothly. votes and led in 21 states, compared with 12.2 million for his The implications of the clean vote, for a new democracy still closest rival, former military ruler Muham- madu Buhari, who struggling to establish itself after years of dictatorship, are won 12 states, the electoral commission said. The Washington- big. Analysts noted that the winner would most likely have based International Republic Institute observer group called the a legitimacy denied to his predecessors elected under murky vote “a major step forward in advancing Nigeria’s democracy.” circumstances, including ballot stealing, a fraudulent polling list Jonathan, 53, has promised to target spending on infrastructure, and the violent intimidation of voters, all features of the last including power and railways, in an effort to boost employment presidential election, the widely denounced 2007 vote. in Africa’s top oil producer where the United Nations None of those flaws appeared to be a significant part of the Development Programme says more than half of the people live electoral landscape on Saturday. “It appears to be going quite on less than $1 a day. smoothly,” said the leader of the National Democratic Institute’s “The continuity of having Jonathan as president will be good for observer mission, Joe Clark, a former Canadian prime minister, investors,” said Dicially in the power sector and the petroleum speaking from the Nigerian capital, Abuja. industry, which is key for the economy.” “It’s gone in a quite orderly fashion,” he said, as large numbers ‘Transparent’ Election of voters waited patiently. “Their numbers were called, and they queued up.” “The election overall was transparent and orderly, allowing Nigerians the opportunity for exercise their vote,” the Compared with earlier years, relatively few people, about 39, International Republican Institute said in its statement to- day. were killed in pre-election violence, according to the Election Situation Room, a Nigerian civil society group. There have been several bomb blasts as well, notably in the north, home to a militant Islamic sect. But the systematic manipulation that plagued previous elections appeared to be absent, experts said. On Saturday, electoral officials were using an uncomplicated procedure for cutting down on fraud, Mr. Clark said. They were asking voters to remain near the polling places. “Their simple presence is supposed to deter what happened before,” he said. “The reason they are staying is to protect their vote.”
166 Forward flashback
Their watchful eyes are credited with deterring fraud and their Mr. Jonathan’s appointment of a respected political scientist, numbers are seen as preventing intimidation of voters and poll Attahiru Jega, last year to run the Independent National Electoral workers. In addition, the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, Commission, a will to reform appeared evident. Mr. Jega has is considered a credible candidate who is almost certain to be the received high marks for the expeditious cleaning of a voter list that eventual winner, although he could face a runoff. He has repeatedly included thousands of illegitimate names — of dead people and called on his supporters to refrain from intimidation and acts of celebrities — using a computer registration system deployed at violence. Further, Mr. Jonathan’s main opponent, Muhammadu thousands of polling places in the vast country of 150 million, and Buhari, said Saturday that he would not contest the results of the taking electronic fingerprints of every voter. vote. Already, before Saturday’s vote, the parliamentary elections last Nigeria, which is America’s fourth-biggest supplier of crude oil, week were “peaceful and credible in most parts of the country,” Africa’s most populous country and home to major investments by said Peter Lewis, a Nigeria expert at Johns Hopkins University. “This American energy companies, is considered by the United States to is the first poll they’ve had under a civilian administration where be “one of the two most important countries in sub-Saharan Africa,” they’ve had a reasonable degree of organization,” Mr. Lewis said. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said in a conference call with reporters from Nigeria and elsewhere last month. The other major country usually cited is South Africa. This year’s election was being closely watched by American officials because, despite shaking off military rule in 1999, Nigeria has maintained an ambiguous, less-than-democratic status, undermined by large-scale corruption, fraud and an elections agency that appeared to increase rather than combat those flaws. Even more than the outcome, with Mr. Jonathan’s victory largely assumed, the process has been under scrutiny. Already, with
“Our peoples’ right to choose who governs them is inalien- able.” February 2010”
Forward 167 voice of america
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/International-Election- Observer-Declares-Nigeria-Presidential-Vote-Credible--120298144. html
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan (C), accompanied by his running mate Arc Namadi Sambo (Behind), is congratulated by Cabinet members after being declared winner of the presidential election, in Abuja, on April 18, 2011 The leader of an observer mission at last weekend’s presidential election in Nigeria says the vote was largely free and fair. It was a significant improvement over the 2007 general elections, said Robin Carnahan of the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute [NDI], and the secretary of state of the U.S. state of Missouri. Most observers described those earlier polls as flawed. “The presidential and National Assembly elections represent a step forward from seriously flawed elections of the past,” said the NDI in a statement. It said they hold the promise of setting a new standard for integrity in Nigeria’s electoral process. “Our observation team went to a couple of hundred [polling stations] and there were other domestic and international “The presidential and observers [there],” said Carnahan. “And all of us, in the main, thought the process ran relatively smoothly. Obviously, there National Assembly were imperfections in it, but it seems to [have] run smoothly.” elections represent The Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] did a good job organizing it, she added. a step forward from “There were a number of people in our delegation that observed the elections in 2007,” Carnahan said, “and they said they felt seriously flawed like there was a marked difference this year. That there was a determination on the part of the Independent National Electoral elections of the past” Commission to run a real election, [and] a free and fair election. There was determination on the part of the Nigerian people to participate in an election that really reflected their voice.” In addition to Carnahan, the NDI poll observer mission includes Joe Clark, former prime minister of Canada; Mahamane Ousmane, former president of Niger and former president of the ECOWAS Parliament; and Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa.
168 Forward what they said... flashback
technologies, including text messaging, social media, and internet platforms. Thousands of incident reports and polling observations Peter Lewis, Direct, SAIS, have circulated in real time, and results have been posted Washington DC in Think from polling sites, counting centers and final certified releases. Africa Press Moreover, INEC procedures encouraged voters to congregate at polling locations, and a sense of vigilance motivated crowds to monitor procedures and witness the count. Civic participation has http://www.sais-jhu.edu/pressroom/sais-in-the-news/index.htm offered many Nigerians a glimpse of new possibilities for political engagement. Two disturbing trends also emerge from the elections. First, the positive features of the polling should not obscure the deep- The 2011 elections in Nigeria represent a political sea change in seated problems remaining in Nigeria’s electoral system. Hundreds two respects. First, a civilian administration has overseen a broadly of situation reports documented incidents of improper voting, credible election. Every civilian-administered poll since 1964 has mishandling of ballots, intimidation, violence and potential been tainted by misconduct, violence, and systemic fraud. Elected fraud. These were fewer in number and far less systematic than governments have suffered chronic problems of legitimacy, leading in previous elections, but the scope of problems underscores to the collapse of two previous democratic regimes and sustained the difficulties that remain in administering well-ordered and unrest during the last twelve years of electoral rule. This time, it is transparent elections. different. The current President and ruling party candidate, Goodluck Second, and potentially much more consequential, the 2011 Jonathan, made a public priority of electoral reform and set in place elections have produced a voting map that is virtually bifurcated essential changes to improve the conduct of elections. The new by region and religion. The southern states voted overwhelmingly Chairman of the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC), for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from Bayelsa State in Professor Attahiru Jega, has gained universal confidence as a the Niger Delta and is a Christian. Indeed, many states in the dedicated and capable figure, and he has been given the resources southeast have reported higher than average rates of voter and political backing to do his job. participation and near-unanimous votes for Jonathan, raising Despite a number of organizational problems, parliamentary questions about the validity of some results. In the northern elections were carried out April 9 and Presidential polling on April Muslim-majority states, voters turned out in droves for retired 16 in a general atmosphere of calm, enthusiasm, and order. By most Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, who drew on sentiments for accounts, electoral procedures were routine and transparent at the a president from the north, in accord with the informal power- great majority of polling stations. Election officials, security forces, sharing agreement among some political elites. In the wake of and political parties conducted themselves with professionalism and the presidential polls, rioting has erupted in the northern states of restraint. Millions of citizens cast their ballots without interference Kano, Kaduna, Borno and Adamawa, and earlier bombings served and had confidence in the final result.T his mood of empowerment as an ominous warning of potential unrest. is virtually unprecedented. The results of the polls encourage Nigeria’s 2011 elections could represent a tremendous step confidence, as the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has lost toward government legitimacy and citizen engagement with significant ground in the legislature, while President Jonathan’s the political process. The communal polarization evident in the electoral majority is diminished from previous contests. The specter race, however, raises major concerns about national accord and of a near-monopoly of power by the PDP has receded, and a more governability. President Jonathan will have to make serious, competitive system may be coming into focus. sustained and judicious efforts to encourage a sense of inclusion A second important factor is the transformational role of civil among the northern segments of the country, and to foster the society and citizen oversight. Domestic observers have participated accommodation of Nigeria’s contentious telements in the coming in previous elections, though often with little cooperation from years. election authorities or political parties. In the 2011 elections, civic organizations have come into their own, with remarkably innovative strategies for the use of information and communication
Forward 169 photo speaks...
170 Forward what they said...
Forward 171 photo speaks...
172 Forward what they said...
president jonathan and his wife, dame patience, during the 2011 campaign
Forward 173 photo speaks..
vice president namadi mohammed sambo and wife, hajiya amina
174 Forward what they said...
Forward 175 photo speaks...
president jonathan and vice-president sambo
176 Forward what they said...
Forward 177 whatphoto they speaks... said...
president jonathan and vice-president sambo
178 Forward what they said...
Forward 179 whatphoto they speaks... said...
180 Forward what they said...
Forward 181 whatphoto they speaks... said...
182 Forward what they said...
Forward 183 Laugh it off! Nigerians are very creative and humorous, as you can see from the invented quotes below. Source unknown.
No matter how hot your temper is, it cannot cook yam - Goodluck Jonathan (2013) Only a courageous woman can fry a bunch of plantain without tasting any – herbert Macauley (1872)
He who says nothing lasts forever has never tried Hausa perfume – -Nelson Mandela (1973) He who completely unwraps moimoi and gala before eating cannot keep a secret – Abraham Lincoln (1864) Any man that uses his teeth to cut shaki from pepper soup, with his eyes wide open, is not afraid of anything – Williams Shakespeare (1900)
184 Forward Drinking Garri doesn’t mean u’re poor, but allowing the Garri to swell b4 drinking is poverty –Queen Elizabeth (1893) He who runs around looking 4 scissors to cut indomine seasoning sachet is not hungry – Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (1947) Anyone who reads this without laughing is either looking 4 job or needs money badly –Barack Obama (2014)
Anyone who graduates without experiencing a strike, has never been to Nigeria – Lord Lugard (1904) He who refuses to mix agege bread and akara as a type of sandwich is a racist – Martin Luther King jnr (1788) Any man who drinks Alomo bitters without squeezing his face, is capable of murder – Michael Faraday (1899)
Forward 185 FOR THE RECORD CHEERFUL GIVERS - Those who contributed to buy PDP presidential nomination form for President Goodluck Jonathan
• Mr. Kennedy Ikenna Odoeme – N5, 000 • Mr Ezemagu Sunday Nnamdi – N10, 000 • PDP Governors – N22 Million • Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) – N22m • Ogbia LGA Stakeholders, Bayelsa state – N5m • Otuoke Community Stakeholders – N2m • Brass LGA Stakeholders, Bayelsa state – N50, 000 • Bayelsa State PDP Stakeholders- N5m • Northern Youth Forum – N2m • Central Market Traders Union, Kaduna State – N1m • PDP Stakeholders, Zaria LGA – N500, 000 • PDP Stakeholders, Yobe State – N500, 000 • PDP Stakeholders, Kaduna State- N2m • Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore – N5m • Goodluck Support Group, Gombe State – N1m • Adamawa State PDP Stakeholders – N3m • Ebonyi State PDP Stakeholders- N2m • Kogi State PDP Stakeholders – N5m • Rivers State PDP Stakeholders – N5m • The 2015 Project – N1m • Team Goodluck, Ondo North Senatorial District – N5m • Middle Belt PDP Women Support Group for GEJ 2015 – N500, 000 • King David Generation Foundation, Jos – N200, 000 • Behwong Weneng Yere Duk, Jos – N200,000 • Redemption 3 Youth Organization, Plateau State – N500, 000 • Plateau State Indigenes Association, Abuja – N300,000 • Gombe Youth United for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan 2015 – N500, 000 • Gombe Youth Vanguard for PDP- N500, 000 • Yamahu/Deba Goodluck Support Group – N200, 000 • Coalition of Gombe Support Groups for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan – N2m • Hinna Youth Coalition for Goodluck – N500, 000 • Nigerian Women Pray for Jonathan - N1m • National Association of Widows - N100, 000 • National Council of Women Societies - N500, 000 • Female members of the PDP Board of Trustees - N500,000 • Joint Association of Persons with Disabilities - N100,000 • National Association of Market Women - N500, 000 • Community Awareness and Development Network – N1 m • Presidential View And Endorsement Platform -N200,000 • Association of South East Town Unions - N300,000 • Goodluck Jonathan 2015 Online Group - 250,000 • The Light Network for Jonathan 2015, Lagos State – N300,000 • Igbo Speaking Community, Lagos State - N200,000 • Oghareki Graduate Association for Jonathan, Delta State – N500,000 President Jonathan playing host to some of the Chibok schoolgirls who fled from Boko Haram’s captivity. The President has launched the Safe School Initiative for greater security in schools MY AMBITION IS NOT WORTH THE BLOOD OF ANY NIGERIAN – JONATHAN
188 Forward