NIGERIA Invest in 2012-13 - Newsdesk Media

Reform of the democratic process is a crucial
aspect of President Jonathan’s agenda.
Rekha Gupta Menon looks at the achievements
of institutions such as the Electoral Reform
Committee and the Independent National
Electoral Commission in delivering change
Nigeria, the largest democracy in Africa, has had
a long and painstaking path to democratic rule
– one which has been marked by turmoil and
instability. While the country gained
independence from colonial rule in 1960, for
several years it was under a succession of brutal military
dictatorships. It has only been since 1999 that the country has
enjoyed a sustained period of civil rule.
Even then, for much of the past 13 years, the country
has yet to reach the desired level of democracy. The benefits
of equality, justice and opportunity have not been delivered in
full to its people. Despite being endowed with abundant
natural resources – Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer and
among the world’s largest producers, earning over $60 billion
annually through oil and gas exports – the country’s human
development indicators are among the lowest in the world,
and a large proportion of its population lives in acute poverty.
Corruption is rife across all levels of government, and
the common concerns of the country’s citizens include basic
issues such as electricity, availability of running water,
education and transport.
Responsible governance has long been one of the key
elements missing from Nigeria’s democratic set-up. Out of the
four national elections held since the end of military rule in
1998, the first three elections, held in 1999, 2003 and 2007,
were universally derided as being unfair and fraudulent.
The 2007 elections that brought Umaru Yar’Adua of
the People’s Democratic Party to power were so marred by
widespread rigging, violence and mismanagement that even
the newly elected president conceded that the elections were
flawed. He appointed a panel, comprising government officials,
former judges and civil-society representatives, to recommend
changes to the country’s electoral institutions. This Electoral
Reform Committee (ERC), presided over by former chief justice
Mohammed Uwais, submitted its report in December 2008,
recommending several reforms, such as the introduction of
independent candidates, the prosecution of electoral offenders
and the establishment of new legislative bodies to deal with
the problem of election irregularities.
the policy agenda 45
Some of the reforms suggested by the ERC were
implemented. However, one of the most important
developments took place in 2010, when President Goodluck
Jonathan, who had taken office following Umaru Yar’Adua’s
death, installed respected academic and civil-society activist
Professor Attahiru Jega as head of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC). His appointment met with
stiff resistance in several quarters, but played a key role in
shaping the process for the most recently held general
elections in April 2011.
Professor Jega put in place a new and credible voting
register, and retrained his staff, whom he deployed to 120,000
polling stations across the vast country, all in just six months.
Furthermore, the officials put in place a new voting system
that helped to curtail fraud. The mammoth election exercise,
with over 70 million registered voters and around 325,000
poll workers, resulted in President Jonathan’s re-election.
Despite some violence, international observers lauded the
elections, rating them as credible, and “largely free and fair”.
A solid foundation
Johnnie Carson, the United States Assistant Secretary of
State for African Affairs, said in a statement: “Nigeria has
just completed its most successful elections since its return
to multi-party democracy in 1999. Despite some technical
imperfections, those elections represent a substantial
improvement over the flawed 2007 electoral process. This
reverses a downward democratic trajectory, and provides the
country with a solid foundation for strengthening its electoral
procedures and democratic institutions in the years to come.
The Nigerian people have shown to the world their resilience
and will to have their voices heard. These elections were a
real opportunity to choose their leaders.”
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on 18 April 2011,
the chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former
Botswana president Festus Mogae, said that the elections
marked a genuine celebration of democracy in Africa’s most
populous country and a key member of the Commonwealth.
“Previously-held notions that Nigeria can only hold flawed
elections are now being discarded, and this country can now
shake off that stigma and redeem its image. Notwithstanding
the organisational deficiencies that resulted in the 2 April
National Assembly elections being aborted after they had
started, and in spite of persistent procedural inconsistencies
and technical shortcomings, the elections for the National
Assembly and Presidency were both credible and creditable,
and reflected the will of the Nigerian people.”
invest in nigeRia 2012-13