THE LAST MILE SYNDROME
Nigeria’s democracy is a puzzle to the civilised world, contends J.K. Randle
I was somewhat jolted when at the “Africa Week” colloquium at Oxford University, speaker after speaker delivered amazing knowledge and penetrating insights regarding Africa – especially Nigeria. What was most remarkable was that they were drawn from various nationalities. It was the same story of years of scholarship devoted to studying the entrails of Africa when Cambridge University followed suit with its own “Africa Week” shortly afterwards. How come they know so much about us while we know so little about ourselves? Or could it be that we are too eager to press the delete button while we proceed with destroying our various countries and ultimately our beloved continent, Africa?
It was in 1959 while I was a student at King’s College, Lagos that I played a tiny role in Nigeria’s elections. The principal, Mr. Phillp H. Davies had asked for volunteers and lo and behold we were despatched to various polling stations in Lagos to “observe” the conduct of the elections. The duties assigned to us were largely peripheral. In any case, the elections were peaceful. Hence, our lives and safety were not in danger. The experience was more or less an extension of our civics lesson.
A few days after the elections, it was the Governor-General, Sir James Robertson who sent us a Letter of Appreciation personally signed by him.
Now it is all a different story. With every election members of the NYSC [National Youth Service Corps] are engaged in official duties at elections all over the country. What is worrying is the danger to which they are exposed – at great cost to their lives and
wellbeing.
Truly, elections in Nigeria have become a do or die affair without any boundaries.
With virtually every election – Local Government Area; State / Gubernatorial / Federal / National Assembly and Presidential the lives lost are monumental. The casualties are not only INEC officials but also military, police, security operatives, NYSC and in some cases the candidates and voters. Yet, elections are meant to be a peaceful exercise of civil rights and discharge of patriotic obligation. However the thugs, gangsters and hired killers do not subscribe to those lofty ideals of democracy. They have no inhibitions about intimidating voters, snatching ballot boxes or resorting to gunfire. It they cannot have war, they are ready to settle for anarchy and chaos on their own terms. The sage has warned us that anarchy and chaos are worse than war. With war you at least know who you are fighting but with anarchy and chaos, everybody is fighting everybody else. There is no assurance you would know who is friend or foe.
I was somewhat taken aback when Professor Okon Uya who was the Chairman of National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) (the predecessor of INEC) from 1993 to 1994 publicly declared that Nigeria had never had a free and fair election.
In similar vein, the cerebral Professor Adele Jinadu (ex King’s College, Lagos and Oxford University, a former Commissioner of INEC spilled the beans on NTA (Nigerian Television Authority) – “Free and fair elections are not achievable in Nigeria.”
He appears to have changed his mind subsequently. On 2nd December 2022 he was in top form when he reassessed the challenge: “What needs emphasis is the intellectual capital invested in the reform, in form of knowledge production and its applied policy utilisation.”
In retrospect, we can attest to the fact that the 1993 presidential won by Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola was free and fair. Even though it met the requirements of international benchmarks (as confirmed by the “Observers” from numerous international organisations) it was nevertheless annulled by the Military. Abiola clearly trounced Alhaji Bashir Tofa (an indigene of Kano State) even in his home state.
However, the 1999 contest between Chief Olu Falae and General Olusegun Obasanjo which resulted in Obasanjo being declared the winner was a very close call. Apparently, Chief Falae was prevailed upon by late Chief Harry Akande, the business tycoon and other eminent Yoruba leaders not to challenge the result in Court even though there were pretty strong grounds than would justify a reversal in favour of Chief Falae.
Fortunately, Chief Falae who is now a monarch in Ondo State is alive and is better able to corroborate or refute that version of events.
On the three occasions 2003; 2007 and 2011 when Major-General Muhammadu Buhari contested presidential elections (before finally succeeding at his fourth attempt in 2015) he was firmly of the view that he was rigged out. Indeed, he lost the appeal against the result of the 2011 election by a very narrow margin. Justice Aloma Muhktar; Justice George Olusola Oguntade and Justice Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor delivered a minority judgement in his favour.
It is instructive that when General Buhari became President, retired Justice Oguntade was appointed as our High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (The Court of St. James) while retired Justice Nsofor (aged 82) was appointed as our Ambasssador to the United States of America. Justice Nsofor served from November 2017 to December 2020. He died at the age of 85.
It is to the eternal credit of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua that after winning the Presidential election in 2007, against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he initiated the reform of the electoral processes in order to ensure that INEC became truly independent.
On a lighter note, I recall how a “Gregorian” (ex-student of St. Gregory’s College, Obalende) vehemently protested on television in 1999: “There is no way Chief Olu Falae could have lost to General Obasanjo. I voted for Chief Falae 19 times at different polling stations. The election was rigged by the military to favour General Obasanjo.”
Now the writing is on the wall and it is there for all to see. Our brand of democracy is a puzzle to the civilized world. What we are practising is at best crypto-democracy.
U.S. President Donald Trump is alleged to have slagged us of as a “Shithole country.” There has been no official denial.
As for the former Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron, his verdict on Nigeria is that we are a fantastically corrupt country.
What makes it all so painful is that when we obtained our Independence from Britain on 1st October 1960, our reputation in terms of integrity and patriotism was at par with what prevailed in Britain, the United States of America, France, etc.
Indeed, when the United Nations had a problem in 1964 over the refusal of the Soviet Union to pay its share of the special contribution for the United Nation’s intervention in the Congo following the assassination of its Prime Minister, Patrice Lulumba, it was the legendary Chief Simeon Adebo (an old boy of King’s College, Lagos) who was our Permanent Representative at the United Nations that was selected by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. U. Thant to join the representatives of Japan and India to resolve the matter. They did an excellent job. They persuaded the United Nation Security Council not to insist on the payment of the levy by the Soviet Union.
What Oxford has in abundance are pubs. I am no fan of the tacky techno pubs. My preference is for the really old ones. Some of them boast of having been around since ancient/medieval times going by the plagues which they proudly display.
(i) Have a Drink with the Best British Writers of The Past
Oxford is all about legends and romanticism. We imagine students and professors walking down the cobblestone streets, loudly discussing philosophical concepts, others suddenly discovering the solution to a maths theorem and writing it down on the wall with a piece of chalk.
Well, it is not exactly like this. Outside the University walls, pubs and bars are arguably the most important part of everyday life in Oxford, where the hot debates have been happening over a pint of ale for ages. Take the chance to see (and drink) where J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, William Shakespeare, and other great minds spent their time using our literature-inspired pub crawl guide.
(ii) Turf Tavern – The ‘Hardest Pub to Find in Oxford’
Next stop – Oxford’s hidden treasure: Turf Tavern. Initially founded as rooms for students, this place was transformed into a pub in the 12th century, so watch out for the ceilings as these are very low by modern standards! If it gets a bit too cramped for you, the pub also has a really nice beer garden outside, so you can enjoy a pint there without feeling like a Hobbit.
It is said that Turf Tavern was a key place for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s hidden dates when he played in the Oxford Playhouse, and it was also regularly visited by Emma Watson and the rest of the Harry Potter film crew when they were working on the first movie in nearby Christ Church College or the Bodleian Library.
Pay attention to the ale barrels in front of the entrance: you can ask to sample some ale from these for a truly unique, local flavour.
Directions: Turf Tavern is notoriously hard to find, so we thought we’d help out a bit. To get to the pub, go to Bath Place Hotel on Holywell Street, look for the outdoor sign with the pub name and the “an education in intoxication” slogan, and then go through a narrow passage to find the pub itself.
Don’t want to get lost? Visit this and other historical pubs with a local guide and learn more about Oxford’s legends.
(iii) Bear Inn – Oxford’s Oldest Pub at Over 778 Years Ol.
When in Oxford don’t miss a chance to visit the oldest pub in the city, dating back to 1242. The names and owners have changed over the years, and it’s been through a couple of refurbishments over the years, but still remains one of the most important places in the city.
Today, apart from being the oldest, this pub is also famous for its tie collection. It is said this tradition started in the 1950s, when Alan Course, landlord and cartoonist, persuaded a guest to donate his school membership tie. Now there are more than 4,500 ties on the wall and ceiling, indicating university clubs, sports teams, colleges and more. Take your time and examine local treasures over a pint of ale or even donate a tie of your own to the collection.
Some of the pubs have at their entrance nuggets:
(i) “What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens”
– Thaddeus Golas (1924 to 1997)
(ii) “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin (1706 to 1790)
(iii) “Individuality is either the mark of genius or the reverse.
Mediocrity finds safety in standardization”
– Frederick Crane (1989)
(iv) “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried something new.”
– Albert Einstein (1879 to 1955)
(v) “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice;
It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved”
– William Jennings Bryan (1860 to 1925).
Bashorun Randle is a former
President of the Institute of the Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and former Chairman of KPMG Nigeria
and Africa Region. He is currently the Chairman, J.K. Randle Professional Services
