June 12: Between Nigeria and Iran

Nigeria and Iran have come to have one thing in common and that is, both countries have held controversial presidential election on the same date: June 12.

Coincidentally, there are many common factors about the two elections and many lessons to be learnt. Starting with Nigeria , her best presidential election since independence was held on June 12, 1993. It was the freest and fairest presidential election in the country. Cases of rigging, violence, or other forms of electoral malpractice were completely absent. Both local and international observers acknowledged that it was free and fair. It was different from previous ones.

Abiola won the presidential election but the military president at that time,General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, annulled it. Iran held its presidential election on June 12, 2009. The two main contestants were Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hossein Mousavi. The authorities in Iran declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. But the electorate and the opposition leaders suspected electoral malpractices, which sparked off public demonstrations and riots The police were consequently called in . As at the time of writing this article, more then 10 people have been reported dead in Iran.

Similar incident happened when the June 12, 1993 presidential election was cancelled in Nigeria . Nigerians protested the cancellation of the election. This development plunged the nation into a deep political crisis from which the country has not recovered.

The lesson to be learnt from the above scenario is the need to conduct free and fair elections.Nigerian leaders should ensure that the 2011 general election is tranparent.

Nigerian leaders should conduct free and fair elections come 2011 and save Nigeria any trouble. Option A4 will prevent rigging and hence ensure transparency. Option A4 methods will bring credibility to our electoral system. Another lesson to learn from Iran is the need to respect people’s right to demonstrate. Government needs to be sensitive and also listen to the masses. It is also more applicable to the Nigerian authorities. The opinions of the opposition parties must always be respected. Repression must be resisted by government officials. Repression of people is never a part of democracy.

Governments need to be sincere in their dealings with the people. I am sure that Iranian authorities knew very well that the election was not free and fair. There is no smoke without fire. People cannot be protesting when there was no rigging. Nigerian leaders need to learn a big lesson here especially with 2011 elections around the corner. Nigeria has had enough electoral troubles. We need transparent elections. May God bless Nigeria .

Chinedu Akuta,
Leicester,
United Kingdom.

Letter to Yar’Adua on ASUU strike

As a Nigerian student, I write to draw your attention to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which could lead to disruptions in the nation’s educational sector. It would be recalled that during the reign of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, an adhoc committee was set up to critically look into ASUU’s problems to avoid an action that could jeopardise the educational sector. The committee was to report to the Federal Government. But this effort proved abortive due to government’s non-cooperative stance of government. This led to the three months strike by the union at the wake of your administration.

In your campaign, prior to your election as the president, you promised to bring to an end, the myriads of problems confronting the education sector. This , alongside the fact that you were once a polytechnic lecturer compelled many students to vote for you during the last general election.

When you assumed office, you instantly communicated your vision to the people through the “Seven-Point Agenda.”

Your proposal was embraced by the people who believed it would enhance the nation’s development because it encapsulates the major sectors of the economy such as education, agriculture, healthcare, infrastructural facilities, industrialisation, etc.

But two years on, Nigerian students are yet to get the dividend of their loyalty to you with regards to your pledge to rescue the ailing education seactor. Rather, the system is being subjected to ruination through inadequate funding and learning facilities, like academic journals,teaching aids, etc.

Our libraries are also full of outdated reading materials. This has so far resulted in students’ poor academic performance. Annually, our universities produce thousands of graduates who had depended solely on their notebooks even with regards to practical oriented courses. The truth is, these students have learnt nothing practical but half-baked theories due to the non-availability of laboratories and other learning equipment.

However, if we pass the various examinations and manage to graduate under these deplorable condition, how competitive are we in the global market? What can we give in return to our fatherland? What can we offer the world at large? How can we transfer the knowledge we acquired in the classroom into practical terms?

I want you to remember that education has for long been adopted as the major mechanism through which a nation can achieve independence, growth and development. The same faith through which With the way things are, a nation with little education s will find it difficult to survive.

Abubakar Jimoh,
Department of Linguistics,
University of Abuja
abujimoh01@yahoo.com