Nigeria must get this election right –Kofi Annan: Mr. Kofi Annan - TopicsExpress

Nigeria must get this election right –Kofi Annan: Mr. Kofi Annan is a former Sec­retary-General of the United Nations (UN). He is a global leader and has continued to advocate free, fair and credible elec­tions around the world since his exit from the UN top job. He was in Abuja during the week, where he coordinated the signing of the peace accord among leading presidential contenders in the February 14 election. In this interview, Mr. Annan spoke on the forthcoming general elections in the country, Boko Haram insurgency, democ­racy in Africa, regional stability and the importance of voters’ education in Nigeria. He spoke to journalists in Abuja a few days ago and FRED ITUA was there. Excerpts. Abuja peace accord President Goodluck Jonathan, General Muhammadu Buhari and nine other presi­dential candidates agreed to steps in ensur­ing peace in the presence of their parties’ chairmen and many other candidates. I am happy that all parties involved are partici­pating in this accord. It will reassure Ni­gerians and their international partners who are concerned about potential elec­tion-related violence of the consequences of such actions. I encourage the popliteal leaders of this country to focus on issues of concerns to Nigeria in a sober manner and avoid personal attacks and inflamma­tory utterances. I want to stress that the conduct of elections is the responsibility of INEC alone. Election management bodies have important challenges in ensuring all eligible voters get their registration cards in time and handle all logistical issues. However, the candidates, the parties and their supporters also have roles to play. The public also needs to work together in order to have credible elections. The security ser­vices have a very particular role by acting impartially in securing the electoral pro­cess. In conjunction with the signing of the peace accord, I met with a broad spectrum of Nigerian civil society organisations and business leaders to discuss the elections. I stressed their role in ensuring transparent, fair and free elections. What happens in Nigeria has great impacts in the region and in the world. This election is important for Nigeria. It is also important for the region. I hope we will have very successful elec­tions. Nigeria can make Africa proud and I know it will. Massacre by Boko Haram Islamist terrorist group in Baga, Borno State First of all, terrorism is a global issue. It is a problem of concern to all of us. I do not know if you heard my comment on what is happening in this country with Boko Har­am. I indicated that we should stand as one and resist Boko Haram. We cannot let them succeed. We are all responsible for trying to stop them wherever we live. There is this tendency sometimes to think you are safe because you are not there. We are all in the same boat. You cannot prosper at the expense of others. I think we have many violent terrorist actions around the world. Each one has provoked reactions. I think in the Nigerian case, the strongest reaction came when the 200 girls were kidnapped. The international community stayed with Nigeria. When the last incident occurred…I am getting different figures. Some are say­ing 2,000 people were killed. Others are saying it was in the 100s. Regardless of the number, it was a brutal act. What happens realistically in the world when you have a problem here, those you are expecting to come to your aid or speak out for you also have their own problems. They sometimes on their problems. They focused on the Paris kill­ings which is closer and was immediate to them. What is important is that, we our­selves should organise and try and contain Boko Haram. International community can only assist. The responsibility is ours. That is why it is important for us to see it as out common problem. I was talking to some Nigerian friends and some believe since they live in other regions of the country, they do not feel it. That is a wrong attitude. We are all in the same boat. We should be concerned as those who live in Chibok and elsewhere. It is them today, who will it be tomorrow? Peace accord and followers of presidential candidates What I will say is that, the lead must come from the party leaders and the party chairmen. Their supporters will take the lead from them. If they use the right lan­guage, calm the situation and tell them not to incite and they themselves do not do it, it will stop. I think the people also have a responsibility not to be seduced by inflammatory speeches. We should also reject some of these statements. We should let it be known that this election is not about that. We should be concerned about the programmes of the candidates and how they are going to tackle poverty and other problems. These are the issues voters should encourage the candidates to talk about. Importance of Nigeria’s elections to Africa and impact of current se­curity situation on its conduct I think the question has been answered. The election is going ahead. There is no question about that. I think the Nigerian election is extremely important because of the role Nigeria plays in the region and globally. It is also because of the size of the country. Nigeria is very active on the inter­national scene. Not only are you participat­ing, today, Nigeria is a member of the UN Security Council. Nigeria has an important role to play. If Nigeria prospers, the region will also do. If Nigeria gets it wrong, the region will also pay the price. Your elec­tions are extremely important, not just for you, but for the region. More importantly, for Nigerians. We should try and deliver peaceful, credible and fair elections. Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) and voting in troubled areas I think every attempt should be made to allow citizens to exercise their rights. We have had situations in other countries where there are IDPs and arrangements had been made for them to vote. In the discussion I had with Professor Attahiru Jega, the INEC chairman, there are plans to do the same thing in Nigeria so that eve­rybody can vote. He seems hopeful and confident. Possible election deadlock and formation of interim national gov­ernment That is a theoretical question I do not want to be drawn into. You will have elec­tions. Hopefully, there will be a loser and a winner. The party that wins will form the government. If there is a problem, one will have to deal with it then. But one cannot get into elections, assuming that neither party is going to emerge. Therefore, we should have an alternative. Youth participation during the elections I believe 18 years old are going to vote. The youths will have a larger vote this time than we had in the past. What is important is that they take the responsibility and ex­ercise their rights to vote. The youths will also be wooed by the parties. Any party that wants to win will usually go after a bloc of votes that will provide the number they need. In this situation, the youths will be wooed. But you will also have to think through for yourselves and be sure of what you want from government. You should be able to articulate what you want. What is important is that you exercise that right to vote. Nobody is born a good democrat or citizen. It comes with training. You start with voting and also by following the is­sues. You organise yourselves with your friends and play active roles in the elec­tions. If you do not vote and you complain later, then you are part of the problem too. Reduction of number of voters from 74 million to 68 million by INEC. It is difficult for me to answer that ques­tion clearly because I do not have the back­ground. I cannot explain the discrepancies, although I had a discussion with Professor Jega. He explained that part of the prob­lem was the cleaning of the register to eliminate the duplicates. So, the number came down. I am sure he will explain this to the public. Normally, people will think since the population has grown, the voters’ register should also be larger. He seems to have reasons the number had dropped. Voters’ apathy and impact on outcome of elections There is no doubt that the situation in the North-East is difficult. They are living through an insurgency. They want to see changes. I hope that frustrations will not lead them to walk away from exercising their rights to vote. Walking away from politics is common with young people. Even in developed countries, it is com­mon. There are some young people who are frustrated with politics and politicians. I will urge those young people in the North who are frustrated to think it through and exercise their rights to vote. They should think about the party that has serious pro­grammes on how to tackle the insurgency. Resigning and standing by and not voting is not the solution. Voters’ education and enlighten­ment I think what is important is that, there has to be serious civic education. Informa­tion should be shared with the people and tell them what is being organised. INEC is restructuring the elections and they must be told what will happen in the different regions and districts. Party leaders and political parties should be encouraged to join in the voters’ education. They can use teachers and schools to expand the pool of people who can explain the procedures of the elections. Civic education is extremely important. Radios, televisions and newspa­pers should be used as avenues to sensitise the people. Obviously, there are lots of is­sues which must be dealt with, but we tend to focus on the political aspects. There will be serious economic and social issues with the drop in the price of oil. Nigeria has a very dynamic and entrepreneurial business class. They should be work with the government to really get the economy going. They should encourage agriculture which can create a lot of jobs for the young people. They should work in diversifying the economy. We im­port a lot, not just in Nigeria, but across the continent. Africa spends $35 billion annual­ly in importation of food. Yet, we have good lands around us. Elections in troubled states and its effect on its credibility I think what is important is that steps should taken on how to give citizens oppor­tunities to vote. In my discussion with Pro­fessor Jega, he said they are going to take steps in ensuring IDPs vote. From what Jega told me, arrangements will be made for you to vote. Not everybody will get to vote, but the level of disenfranchisement should go down considerably if those steps are taken. Election crisis in Africa and way for­ward. I think it was concern for the disputes around elections that led to the formation of the global commission on elections, democ­racy and security. It was a bit of a paradox. Democracy was spreading, yet people were losing interest in politics and politicians. In some cases, the elections were not credible. So, the people lost interest. What is impor­tant is to make an attempt to organise elec­tions with integrity. When you have elec­tions which are free and credible, the people will have trust in you. Where the systems are weak and people are not sure if their votes will count, it will be difficult to govern. Your legitimacy will be questioned. Africa has changed. People are now questioned on what is going on. They are connected with the rest of the world through social media. The younger generation will push for something better. I have faith in the next generation. I hope when they get to power, they do not behave the same way as some of the other ones have done which we criticise. There are some examples I have seen in the younger ones that give me a bit of concern. But they really should be credible and be able to bring change to this country. Original link Read More goo.gl/ynqKVh (y) ✍comment ☏share