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2023 Presidential Poll Neither The Best Nor The Worst – Adeoye
A renowned political analyst, and media relations expert, Mr Yemi Adeoye has shared his thoughts on the recently held general elections in Nigeria, as well as the issue of cash crunch, and it’s effect on the presidential election, even as he also shared thoughts on the forthcoming Governorship election.
He disclosed this on Thursday, during a live interview on Channels Television, and monitored by our correspondent in Lagos.
According to him, the presidential election was the seventh election since the return of civil rule in 1999, and while it may not be the best, it certainly was not the worst, as some very notable progress has been recorded.
He went on to say that while there are some concerns about the negative happenings during the Presidential election, it is important to note that this is the first time the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is using the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for a national election, and as such, he believes that a 100 percent perfection rate is not to be expected.
Adeoye said “People are having mixed feelings and reactions about the election, but it is important to note that this is the seventh election that we will be having since the return of civil rule in 1999, and while it is not the best, it is certainly not the worst, and we have recorded some progress as a nation.
“It is not totally bad, but of course there are mixed feelings across, with regards to the developments during the presidential election, we believe that it is the first time INEC is using the BVAS, so some of us are not really expecting a 100 percent perfection to this, because it is being deployed for a national election for the first time.
Adeoye further encouraged Nigerians to remain patient and hopeful, acknowledging that this is the first time such a system has been implemented in the country. Despite the challenges that may arise, He is confident that the system will prove effective in the long run.
“I will have to appeal to Nigerians across board to let’s give the system a chance, and hopefully, we are going to get it right as we go along. It is the first time and much cannot be achieved at once.” He said.
Adeoye further went on to speak about the cash crunch and the availability of both the old and new currency in the governorship election which was initiated during the presidential election to aid reduction in vote buying.
when told that to some Civil Society Organizations, CSO, opined that the cash crunch had a positive effect in the reduction of vote buying.
Mr. Adeoye responded that “The naira redesign policy is part of the reason why we saw what looks like a voter apathy across Nigeria.
“During the last election, very few citizens came out to vote in spite of the huge collection of PVCs.
“This is still going to be a very sad point in our national history, because the policy was thoughtless. No matter how good or awesome it is, the timing was extremely wrong, and totally baseless at the time, because Nigeria is a cash economy, and not a credit economy.
“People live on cash to survive daily, so you can’t expect people to go out to the bank, queue up for five hours just to get 2,000 naira and then deploy that same effort to go and vote.
“People are angry, people are not happy, so that is the reason for the last voter apathy, and if the CBN can ramp up its actions, and make sure that banks, and ATMs are dispensing enough funds, both the old and new notes according to the supreme Court judgement, we should see an increase in voter turnout for the governorship elections across the nation.
“We must take note that since independence, it is the first time Nigerian’s are experiencing the buying of naira with naira. It’s okay to be queuing up for fuel, but not naira scarcity, it has never been experienced by Nigerians, and definitely it will take its toll.
it will have it’s negative effect on the turnout of the election, so we hope that the CBN would ramp up his activities and ensure that the banks and ATM are dispensing. Hopefully that would encourage people to turn out on the governorship election.” He enthused.
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
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The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
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