In this piece, SAMUEL OGIDAN writes on the emotion and passion that ran through the recent 2nd annual conference of Peoples Media Limited which essentially focused on 2015
Media as agenda setters
With barely eleven months, Nigeria as a country would witness yet another round of general elections to elect its leaders both at the national and the states levels. But to avoid a repeat of the 2011 ugly incidence where many people were killed during and after the elections, the media, described as agenda setters have once again, like the town crier and advocate of peace, cried out on the impending danger of the forthcoming 2015 general elections and how the crisis could be averted.
Emotional utterances
Blazing the trail, the Peoples Media Limited, publisher of Peoples Daily newspaper, recently warned Nigerians on the danger of not taking precautions in the preparation for 2015 general elections.
Utterances of politicians have emotional and dangerous effects on their followers who believe that the words of their leaders are the gospel truth, which must be obeyed and followed to the letter.
It happened in 2011, and because the destructive effect was unprecedented, the media have come out again to warn the politicians to desist from issues and pronouncement that could set the country on fire.
Warning signs
Not only is the media warning, the Chairman of Peoples Media Limited, Malam Wada Maida, prophetically said the consequences are dare if Nigeria as a nation, fails to make a success of the 2015 general elections. He spoke at the 2nd Peoples Media Limited conference organised by the Peoples Daily newspaper. Themed “Nigeria: the 2015 question,” he said the event was to put heads together and chart a course that will lead to a peaceful and prosperous future for Nigeria.
He said: “It is in line with this belief that Nigeria: the 2015 question, which is the theme under discussion today, is very important as we navigate the turbulent political waters in our journey towards the enthronement of a democratic country by holding free and fair elections.
“Indeed, the charged political atmosphere in the country today has made it imperative that all concerned stakeholders come together to try to avert crises similar to that which trailed the last general elections in some parts of the country.”
“I believe that considering the occasional tension hanging over us as a nation anytime elections are about to hold, we must create as many forums and platforms to talk, even if immediate solution may not be found to our problems.
“It is as clear as daylight that our politicians are perfecting ways to undo one another with the sole aim of grabbing power come 2015. As they continue their subtle and not so subtle manoeuvres, we must all be reminded that after all is said and done, we have a nation-Nigeria-to come back to.
“Our politicians, and indeed all of us, must remember that 2015 only offer an opportunity to either reaffirm our faith in our leaders or change them via the electoral process, which is in tandem with the tenets of democracy. I sincerely hope that this will be the guiding principle of all politicians ahead of the elections,” he said.
Abdulsalami, others reechoed the fear
Other speakers who echoed the fear of the publisher, also joined the campaign to avert crises in 2015, especially against the backdrop of the alleged prediction by the US that Nigeria will break up in 2015.
One of the speakers is a former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar (rtd), who noted that the topic of discussion, was apt especially now that politicians are already fighting themselves dirty just for power at the detriment of the poor masses and electorates who suffer the negligence, irresponsibility and unaccountabiity of the leaders.
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bdulsalami said: “As political animals that we all are, nothing seems to have gripped the imagination of Nigerians as the issue of the coming 2015 general elections which in my view is a watershed moment in the history of our dear country. “The way we are able to handle this very important event will largely determine how successful we will be in our efforts at remaining a united, indivisible and stable country. Already, the fault lines are apparent and politicians are ready to exploit them to the fullest to achieve their sometimes not so noble objectives.
“The 2015 elections are, among other things, expected to determine where power will reside. The North is determined to have it back and its leaders are pulling all the stops to see that that happens. On the other hand, the body language of the incumbent President strongly suggests he wants another term,” he said.
Abubakar, a retired army general whose military administration mid-wifed the current political dispensation in 1999, said the unfolding scenario in the polity might portent a great danger to the country if Nigerians from all parts of the country did not close ranks and put its interest first.
He said the sad and tragic experience of the 2011 post election violence was a reminder that election matters had become serious business that must be handled with utmost seriousness and patriotism in order to avoid a repeat.
The former head of state said he was however confident that the country could collectively rise above this challenge and deliver elections that not only Nigerians, but African and the rest of the world would be proud of.
Challenging INEC
“For this to happen, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)has a key role to play in ensuring free and fair elections that express the will of the people,” the retired general added.
He said: “As someone who had the honour to midwife our new democratic experiment back in 1999, I am sure Nigerians will appreciate why I am very passionate about elections. Free and fair elections are crucial to sustaining a democratic culture, hence my distress whenever we are unable to hold elections that can pass basic standards.
“As an international elections observer, I have monitored polls in less endowed countries that have managed to organise more credible elections and I am always left with the sad feeling that with our resources, we are unable to set an example for the rest of the world. I believe if we are able to get the elections right then we shall be well on our way to fully entrenching values in our society.”
Politicians as saboteurs
Also in a remark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, though a politician expressed fear over the role other politicians are playing in sabotaging the nation’s nascent democracy. He warned against the impending danger, if politicians continue to play the ostrich in addressing salient issues.
Pregnant 2015
Tambuwal said 2015 was “pregnant” because of the elections, but that INEC and the political office holders would determine if the year would be peaceful.
Tambuwal noted that practically every discussion today had been shadowed by the coming general elections and that it had made the usually challenging federal system more difficult.
He attributed the problem to tribalism and nepotism, saying they had become such a critical part of “our policy and politics that people often feel that they will not be reckoned with unless their candidate, their tribesman or woman, or their party win.”
The lawmaker said the country must learn to run its government in such a manner that whoever was in power would guarantee the rights and privileges of every citizen, adding, “Once we stop seeing power as an opportunity to enrich our friends and cronies but an opportunity to leave positive mark on governance, the extreme views that people hold over candidates for elections will be substantially moderated.”
“The whole concept of democracy is built upon the idea that the people are supreme and we hold power in trust for them. However, in modern democracy since it is impossible for people to exercise power directly, they elect representatives to exercise these powers on their behalf.
“Today, there is so much noise about 2015 and so little action. We have heard people raise their voices in condemnation, in castigation of people who do not agree with their points of view but we have seen no attempt to correct the failure in the system or of party officials making conscience their guide rather than greed and fear,” he added.
“We must resolve as a people to be less emotive and combative. Let us use our heads more. Let us think of the future and the judgement of history more. Let us sympathise with the suffering masses of this country more. Yes, 2015 is indeed pregnant. But it is in our hands if we want it to deliver a bright future or a foetus of aborted hopes and dreams.
“The responsibility is of course first on those who hold power currently and the election umpire that we now have. If they decide to conduct fair and free elections, if the scales are not rigged, then the hope that 2015 will usher in a more peaceful and more progressive year is not in doubt,” the lawmaker further noted.
The Speaker also pointed out that more often than not, people were forced to abandon the political parties they had laboured for, not because they wanted to, but because party officials had proven themselves incapable of running a fair contest.
Also speaking, Vice Chancellor, Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja, Professor Mike Kwanashie, expressed fear over the forthcoming general elections. He was of the view that something sinister may happen to the nation after 2015 hence the question, “what the state of the nation would be after the general elections.”
He said: “There are serious indications that the country could face some of its worst crisis since independence. The level of social disharmony in the country today resulting from the manoeuvring within political parties and between political parties at both the federal level, he stressed, has created the grounds for greater apprehension towards the 2015 elections.
Nigeria after 2015
Kwanashie said: “The more ominous question today is what will become of Nigeria after 2015 no matter who wins the presidential election and what party is in power at the centre and in most states of the federation.
“What will happen to the Nigerian project? How would Nigeria’s democracy survive the presently fractured political platforms on which the current political elites came to power? Where is the country heading to in 2015 within the backdrop of growing political paralysis, insurgency and militancy in various parts of Nigeria?”
“The state is gradually being incapacitated to perform some of its basic functions such as security for all and the facilitation of the good life for its citizens,” the university teacher further added.
Now that the media has taken it upon itself to sensitize Nigerians on the danger associated with electoral violence, would the politicians toe the line of peace and stop overheating the polity especially with 2015 around the corner? Is it not important to avoid playing into the hands of the prophets of doom waiting to swoop on Nigeria?
