The reason why the external agencies are showing interest in the affairs of the country can be attributed to the rich oil reserves in the country. It is key oil producing nation in the Niger delta. Its government is utilizing the oil export revenue to stabilize the economy.

 

 

Elections (?) in Nigeria are over. A Government was formed under the jubilant winner. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has portrayed it as a historic event. Yes. It is true. Democratic government is in power in the Afro nation which suffered a lot under diverse military regimes. Yet there smells some thing fowl !

 It is the mode in which the elections are conducted in the state. Here goes the numbers the media published in the name of results - Yar'Adua got around 24.6 million votes; Buhari came second with 6.6 million votes; and Abubakar came third with 2.6 million votes. Finally Yar’Adua (Umaru Musa Yar'Adua) declared as the winner. 

The figures show that the winner had an exuberant win. But the press mentions it as - "the fact that President Olusegun Obasanjo has made a complete mess of our democracy and turned Nigeria into his chicken farm doesn't mean that democracy is bad" (This Day).

 There were reports that the number of ballot boxes accessible in the zones where the opposition party has hold where feeble and people could not cast their vote. Also there reported some violence during the elections.  

 

The resource in the state

 The motivation why the external agencies are showing attention in the affairs of the country can be accredited to the rich oil reserves in the country. It is key oil producing nation in the Niger delta. Its government is utilizing the oil export revenue to stabilize the economy.

 The US has expressed its concern over the safety of its people working in the oil plants. It is in this respect there one may expect some events akin to Iraq may happen.

 Responses

 Independent National Electoral Commission’s observation that the election was carried out in ‘free and fair’ manner will not hold much water. In fact it is a decision from the election commission of a state where democracy is still an infant.  It may be to prevent a sudden outbreak of a civil war.

 But speaking from a dispassionate stand the election commission should have taken apt plunks to institute a government of the people by the people and for the people.