I have no doubt that your passion for excellence, reliance on competence, fairness in relationships, commitment to equity, loyalty to the country, and desire for Nigeria to be globally relevant would come through for you, under Gods guidance, as you lead our country to levels higher than I am leaving. The private sector proved a strong partner in our drive to build a resilient and sustainable economy, as evidenced by the growing number of turn-key projects in various sectors of the economy. Fifty electoral commission offices were attacked between 2019 and 2022. March 31, 2015 By Bill Sweeney, President and CEO On March 28, Nigerians went to the polls and voted decisively for change. Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari won approximately 52 percent of the vote to defeat incumbent President Goodluck Jonathon, who collected 44 percent. Now, a week after the announcement of the results, Nigeria is on the path for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power. The following reasons are some of the factors responsible for the "outcome". We put these findings to Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec). Abductions in Ms. Ngorngors state of Kaduna and in neighboring Zamfara are still happening daily, so many that you lose track, said Malik Samuel, an Abuja-based analyst with the Institute for Security Studies. . The high turnout in northern states also reflects the general feeling by northerners that it should be their turn to rule and also due to the perceived marginalization of the region. Last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that 240 polling centers nationwide will be inactive mainly for security reasons.. Nigerians expect a huge improvement in the economy and standards of living from a man who has many times boasted of boosting the economy of Lagos amid federal financial suppression. Although the figure was erroneously exaggerated, he showed commitment to recruiting more security officers to fight terrorism and other forms of insecurity in the country. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. VideoA rare insight into Hitler's private life, Why the city that never sleeps is slowly sinking. 21. Eight months earlier, her 17-year-old son Emmanuel was studying for a chemistry exam at his boarding school, when gunmen stormed the building and kidnapped him, along with dozens of classmates. For the first time in a Nigerian election, photographs of the polling station results sheets were published online by the electoral commission. So how can the sharp fall in votes for Peter Obi - in the official result - be explained? In the northeast, militants with the extremist groups Boko Haram and local affiliates of the Islamic State have killed at least 10,000 people in the past five years, and displaced 2.5 million people. April 1, 2015 By Bill Sweeney, President and CEO Ahead of Nigeria's 2015 general elections, I traveled to Nigeria to witness the preparations for the vote and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems' (IFES) support for this vitally important electoral process. Goodluck Jonathon graciously conceded defeat and congratulated Buhari on his victory, a move which was welcomed by the heads of international observer missions. Now that the president has announced his visit to Kenya in July, he must consider going to Nigeria as well. Mr Tinubu was believed to have sent a wrong signal when he chose a fellow Muslim as his running mate. In Kaduna, in northwestern Nigeria on Thursday. Yet in practice, little has changed. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday defended his record on the economy and the outcome of a disputed presidential election, saying he was leaving a legacy of credible and fair votes, a . The heightened interest in this weekends election, illustrated by several large rallies across the country, is in great part an outcome of a desire to see these problems tackled by an administration with a fresh set of ideas. As I noted in my March 18 testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, with some of the recent democratic successes in Africa there is a fledgling culture of trust emerging from the dust of terrible, violent conflict. The 2015 general elections in Nigeria were a step in the right direction for democracy in Africa and sign of hope for those who fear a growing democracy deficit. northerners consider a lost turn for the presidency, General Buhari will imminently be declared the winner. The vote for Bola Tinubu was six times larger in the officially announced results compared with the BBC's polling station count, The count for Mr Obi was announced officially as just. President Muhammadu Buhari, in his farewell broadcast to Nigeria ahead of Monday's inauguration, said he is leaving Nigeria better than in 2015. IFES and Google Announce Partnership to Foster Digital Security for Democracy. He cant vote abroad, but is watching closely. Our battle to ensure that all Nigerians live in a safe and secure environment has achieved considerable results. We must, as a nation, improve and sustain gains we make in the electoral process, on an incremental basis for Nigeria to take its rightful place among nations. Although there were some reported problems, these elections were a positive harbinger for democracy in Nigeria and Africa at large. Tinubu, seventy, is a former Governor of Lagos State (1999- 2007) and arguably the most influential Nigerian politician of the past two decades. 15. She has since traveled back to Abuja, but by road even though, because of kidnappings, the roads are more dangerous than the train. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. This epidemic of kidnappings is just one of multiple security crises that are creating levels of violence unseen for decades in Nigeria, Africas most populous country, with nearly 220 million people. As armed bandits operated in the northern region, other violent groups, including the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), a self-determination group, wreaked havoc in the South-east and South-south regions while kidnapping, ritual killing and other crimes gripped the Southwest. Experts on elections and students of the democratic process in Africa are closely monitoring the election. President Bola Tinubu has officially taken office at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. We added up the voting tally sheets from over 6,000 polling stations in Rivers state, where many of the opposition complaints had been made. No candidate cared about peoples security, he said, turning his wrists up to show the scars left on his arms by his kidnappers beatings. Olusola Olaniyi, 63, was kidnapped in February 2021 while running a digging site for a farm on the outskirts of Ibadan, Nigeria. 27. President-elect Bola Tinubu is facing legal challenges ahead of his inauguration on 29 May, By Chiagozie Nwonwu, Peter Mwai & Karina Igonikon, Example of a tally sheet from a single polling station, one of almost 177,000 across Nigeria, Peter Obi has contested the outcome of the vote in Rivers state, The results for Oyigbo (with the two largest parties highlighted), Dr Dickson Ariaga (seated far left) announced the Oyigbo results, Moses Ekpa says the Federal College of Education in Omoku has never heard of Dr Ariaga, A rare insight into Hitler's private life. Youth turnout could be further boosted by a decision to close the countrys universities for two weeks before the election. 11. We asked the electoral commission if we could speak to Dr Ariaga, but they would not give us his details or reach out to him for us. But Mr Tinubu has raised the hope of Nigerians on economic matters. The last eight years have been an exciting experience in my desire and commitment to see a Nigeria in which public goods and services are available and accessible within a united, peaceful, and secure nation. 4 likes, 0 comments - Ripples Nigeria (@ripplesnigeria) on Instagram: "The European Union has cautioned youths in Edo State not to allow selfish politicians use them pe." Ripples Nigeria on Instagram: "The European Union has cautioned youths in Edo State not to allow selfish politicians use them perpetrate violence ahead of the governorship . I have led an administration that is so prudent from six hundred million naira internally generated revenue to five billion naira a month, he told a BBC journalist in an interview. Threats to polling stations could discourage voters from showing up. 34. This interactive examines how nationwide bans on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, as proposed by the Biden administration on April 28, 2022, could help shrink the racial gap on U.S. lung cancer death rates. Thank you. One man who was kidnapped said, You can only survive on your own in Nigeria.. In a previous posting, I made the case for a visit to Kenya, Ethiopia and Nigeria by President Obama before he leaves office. In the lead up to the 2023 general elections, journalists covering political affairs face threats from authorities and arbitrary detentions, among other disturbing trends.. Adesola Ikulajolu, a Nigerian journalist and fact-checker, never forgets the day he was harassed by officers of the Department of State . by Lindsay Maizland There were a variety of issues with the card readers on Election Day. The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, ran a campaign that appealed to his kinsmen in the North while Labour Partys Peter Obi targeted Christians and the Igbos. Solar panels - an eco-disaster waiting to happen? I cannot and will not forget the millions who prayed for me during my illness in my first term of office. Nigeria has faced an outbreak of kidnappings in recent years, affecting people of all ages and classes: groups of schoolchildren, commuters traveling on trains and in cars through Nigerias largest cities, and villagers in the northern countryside. For about 5% of polling stations, the photos of tally sheets were too blurred for us to read. On 28 March 2015, Nigerians will cast their vote in a keenly contested general election, preparations for which have presented both challenges and opportunities. This is a riddle that the Tinubu administration must solve. Between July 2021 and June 2022, more than $1.1 million was paid in ransom, according to SBM Intelligence. For example: the Boko Haram insurgency is as deadly as ever. Yemens Tragedy: War, Stalemate, and Suffering, Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy. When Mr Tinubu, in an open forum, suggested that Nigeria should recruit 50 million youths into the army, he probably understood that insecurity is one of the biggest challenges setting the country back. You are going to witness a lot of innovation, the National Health Insurance Act signed into law by the present administration is part of those things, he said in a town hall meeting held in January. Anyone can read what you share. 6. By reaching out to his Facebook friends we did finally manage to speak to a man who said he was a relative, who was at first willing to help us but then didn't return our calls. Last year, the 26-year-old was keen to join other young Nigerians leave the country at a level unseen in recent years. The 2019 Election Violence Nigeria's elections have historically been fraught with controversy, violence, and other abuses, with the 2015 elections, widely believed to have been largely free of . Regina Ngorngor and her 17-year-old son, Emmanuel. As the former governor of Lagos, he was reputed to have appointed people of diverse backgrounds into his government. Among those who have recently relocated from Nigeria is Jude Edozie, who left last year as a pharmacist to further his studies in Ireland. Umaro . My principal is an economy wizard who has transformed Lagos into the third-largest economy in Africa, he said. The introduction of the biometric register, while costly, was seen by many Nigerians as an important step in cutting down on the possibility of voter fraud and ballot stuffing. In some cases, biometric information could not be read, in other cases poll workers did not seem to understand how to use the machines. I also want to use this opportunity to express my appreciation to a good number of Nigerians who provided their support and encouragement to help me navigate the exciting journey in moving Nigeria forward. There has been increasing tension between the north and the south due to what northerners consider a lost turn for the presidency and continued economic marginalization of their region. This made it possible to add up all the polling station sheets and to compare them with the results declared at the state level. Initially seen as an underdog with little political experience, Obi has emerged as a leading candidate, coming ahead of or close behind Tinubu and Abubakar in most polls. The second local government . Many of these would have been places where no voting took place due to security issues or the non-arrival of voting materials. The government must deal firmly with Boko Haram else the terror groups will continue to gain momentum that may be extremely difficult to contain in the near future. In 2015, the economy of Nigeria was trending towards a recession and corruption was endemic in both the public and private sectors. This would have been one of the 23 collation sheets from LGAs in Rivers state taken to the state capital, Port Harcourt, for the official declaration. 24 Feb 2023 Voters are set to head to the polls on Saturday to elect President Muhammadu Buhari 's replacement as he serves out the second of his constitutionally permitted two four-year terms. These are the fifth elections since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, but . Independent National Electoral Commission. Reina Patel contributed to research for this article. An election official from each LGA then travelled to the state capital, where these results were officially declared. Divided Nigeria, Bruised Economy, Insecurity - Biggest Challenges Ahead of Bola Tinubu, Nigerians still face most of the challenges that his party promised to fix eight years ago but President Tinubu says no more excuses. However, Mr Tinubu said he would prioritise a government of national competence over national unity. In particular, the real and perceived marginalization of the north must be addressed through more fair allocation of resources and targeted investments to promote economic activities in the region. Tinubu has focused on another bloc: Nigerias Muslim majority. Millions of Nigerians went to the polls between March 28 and 29 to cast votes for a president in what has been billed as the most important election in that country since the return of democratic governance in 1999. Referring to Dr Ariaga, he said: "If he had presented himself as a lecturer from [the college in Omoku] and it's otherwise, then he is dishonest.". World Feb 22, 2023 11:48 AM EDT ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) Frustrated by high unemployment and worsening violence, many younger Nigerians are flocking to a candidate outside the political mainstream. Oladeinde Olawoyin contributed reporting. With youth gangs and armed bandits finding that kidnapping for ransom produces big payoffs, such crimes have only multiplied. Can sci-fi films teach us anything about an AI threat? He however faces significant problems - including widespread insecurity, rising inflation, and oil theft, writes Ibrahim Adeyemi for Premium Times. Officials cited security concerns as the main reason for the move, but it will also mean many young people are at home to cast ballots. Peter Obi's votes had been cut in half. I never intended to be just politically correct but to do the correct things that will make meaningful impact on the lives of the common Nigerian. You would all recall the supply chain disruptions and economic downturn that the world witnessed between 2020 and 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the unemployment rate projected by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) to hit a staggering 37 percent in 2023, it is hardly surprising that seven out of ten Nigerians would leave the country if the opportunity were to arise. Since Mr Buhari took power in 2015, inflation kept rising, making life more difficult for the people. The three leading candidates have all pledged to tackle insecurity, whether by recruiting more security personnel or upgrading the military. Addressing insecurity is also a priority. His victory in the Readmore. But violence has grown more widespread. Both Tinubu and Abubakar are renowned for their deep pockets and a wide network of political loyalists across the length and breadth of the country. Irrespective of the outcome of the various cases, I urge all parties involved to accept the decision of our courts and join hands to build a better Nigeria. The country has one of the worlds largest youth populations, with about 64 million people aged 18-35 and a median age of 18. In a short video that went viral recently, President Bola Tinubu admitted there were high expectations from Nigerians. Due to Nigeria's rapidly growing population, many of the 120,000 polling stations are overwhelmed. I address you today, in my last assignment as a democratically elected President of our great and well-endowed nation, with a deep sense of gratitude to God, a great deal of appreciation to the Nigerian people, and a modest sense of fulfilment. Video, A rare insight into Hitler's private life, Bola Tinubu won the national presidential vote by 1.8m votes, Parents clash in Pride protest at US primary school, Utah schools ban Bible for 'vulgarity and violence', White House says Biden is fine after fall on stage, Three Israeli soldiers killed near Egypt border. Tinubu portrays himself as a human rights advocate, but critics question his commitment to accountability in cases of abuse. The News. Businessman and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, sixty-one, is the dark horse candidate. He aims to attract investment, streamline foreign exchange rates, and use foreign borrowing for revenue-generating projects. By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Nigerian voters say that insecurity is the most important issue in this weeks presidential election. At a valedictory session with officials and heads of parastatals in the ministry, Mr Adamu confessed to having no experience in education management before being appointed to serve as minister of the sector for eight years. We also approached Inec's headquarters in Abuja for a response to our findings of discrepancies in the results in Rivers state. As observers bemoan the worldwide democracy recession, Nigerias 2015 general elections are an important victory for democracy in Africa and around the world. For all those under unlawful captivity our security agencies are working round the clock to secure their release unharmed. There are daily reports in the media of angry protesters blocking major highways, damaging bank Automated Teller Machines, and burning banks. Many of these votes will take place in countries in such environments. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. On many campaign stops, Mr Tinubu has bragged about his ability to fix the economy and build wealth for the nation and people. Fellow Nigerians, you know how dear the desire in my heart is, to rid the country of corrupt practices that had consistently diminished our efforts to be a great country. (October 2020) The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Nigeria . We found an increase of just over 106,000 in Mr Tinubu's vote in the official declaration when compared with our polling station tally - almost doubling his total in the state. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Officials had boasted that the train route was safe. When Buhari came to power in 2015, . He was responding to a former governor of Borno, Ali-Modu Sheriff, who asked him to perform the Lagos magic at the national level. To ensure that our democracy remains resilient and our elected representatives remain accountable to the people, I am leaving behind an electoral process which guarantees that votes count, results are credible, elections are fair and transparent, and the influence of money in politics reduced to the barest minimum. It's important to make clear that although we searched through the election website for every single one of the 6,866 polling stations in Rivers state, we were not able to obtain results from all of them. The conduct of what was generally peaceful and transparent election strengthens the case for a visit by President Obama. Here are some of the biggest challenges his administration faces. Nigerias election commission extended the deadline to collect the cards by two weeks in response. There are also questions over the identity of an election official who read out some of the unexplained results. Turnout in Nigerias recent elections has been low. The typical response from our politicians when young Nigerians complain is that we dont vote, Oduala said. While the results of the vote reflected the will of Nigerians, there is never a perfect election and the 2015 general election in Nigeria was no exception. My fellow Nigerian brothers, sisters, and friends of Nigeria. The deftness of our response to the pandemic still remains a global best practice.
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